The most efficient diesel engine in history has been unveiled.
Chinese company Weichai Power has introduced the first diesel engine in history with a 53.09% thermal efficiency. The company focused on reducing fuel intake, air intake, combustion, and friction in the new engine.
At the 2024 World Internal Combustion Engine Congress held in Tianjin, China, the latest technological developments in the industry were showcased. During the event, Weichai Power introduced the world’s first diesel engine with a 53.09% thermal efficiency. The company’s achievement has been officially recognized by the international testing organization TÜV SÜD and the China Automotive Technology and Research Center. Both organizations have confirmed that the engine’s efficiency level sets a world record.
New diesel engine record from China
Since the invention of the diesel internal combustion engine 127 years ago, scientists and engineers around the world have been striving to improve the thermal efficiency of these engines. Weichai Power, on the other hand, has been working since 2015 to develop a high thermal efficiency engine. The team established for this purpose achieved a significant milestone by introducing a diesel engine with a record-breaking brake thermal efficiency of 50.23% on September 16, 2020. The company continued its remarkable progress by increasing the engine’s thermal efficiency to 51.09% in 2022, and reaching 52.28% in the same year.
Building on their previous achievements, the research team at Weichai Power further improved four critical systems: combustion, air intake, fuel distribution, and friction. With these enhancements, the barrier of 53% thermal efficiency was surpassed for the first time worldwide. Researchers claim that this accomplishment can be likened to a human running the 100-meter race in under nine seconds.
Weichai Power claims that their new engines will increase the efficiency of diesel engines by approximately 14% compared to mainstream engines with a thermal efficiency level of 45-46% in the market. According to the company, this development translates to approximately 31 million tons of fuel savings annually and a reduction of approximately 97 million tons of CO2 emissions. It should be noted that these figures are based on the Chinese market.
Additionally, the company provides more sophisticated examples. With the new engine, a heavy-duty tractor covering 250,000 kilometers annually can save approximately 12,000 liters of diesel fuel per year. This fuel saving is equivalent to an annual fuel cost savings of more than $13,000 in China. Weichai Power also states that this technological breakthrough will have an impact on various sectors such as transportation, construction machinery, agricultural equipment, ships, and energy production equipment.
