Microsoft, Sun Founders Invest in New Eco-Friendly Engine
By Michelle Krebs July 13, 2010Microsoft founder and chairman Bill Gates and Sun Microsystems' co-founder Vinod Khosla have invested $23.5 million in Michigan-based EcoMotors International for further development of its OPOC engine.
The two-year-old start-up, headquartered in the Detroit suburb of Troy, Mich., is working on the OPOC (Opposed Piston Opposed Cylinder) engine that runs on unleaded gasoline and diesel fuel and boasts up to 50 percent more efficiency than a conventional combustion engine.
EcoMotors' founder Peter Hofbauer the company's chief technology officer and former Volkswagen powertrain development chief came up with the idea for the OPOC engine. It is said to have greater power density, weigh less and produce lower carbon emissions than conventional engines. The engines, which operate on a two-cycle principle, are being developed for cars, commercial vehicles, aerospace and power generators.
EcoMotors has applied for but has not yet been approved for a $200-million U.S. Department of Energy loan that would enable the company to build engines at an old GM plant in the Detroit suburb of Livonia, Mich. The engine could be on the market in two to three years, the company says.
EcoMotors' CEO is Donald Runkle, who held high-level engineering and executive posts with General Motors and Delphi Corp. He was interviewed by Edmunds Green Car Advisor on this latest investment.
The newest EcoMotors investment appealed to Khosla Ventures, the venture capital company of Vinod Khosla, for its "disruptive technology," and to Gates for the engines' potential applications in developing countries, EcoMotors said.
Khosla Ventures also is an investor in Transonic Combustion, another powertrain technology company with offices in Michigan and California. Runkle serves on the board of Transonic, which specializes in advanced direct fuel injection systems, as does retired GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz.
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