ORBITAL WINS ENGINE ORDER
The Orbital engine company reports that it has received a major order for its two-stroke engine; most industry experts expect the company placing the order to be Ford, who may use the 1.2-liter, three-cylinder Orbital engine in the Fiesta or other minicars in the European market.
Orbital created the resurgent interest in two-stroke engines when it demonstrated an engine capable of meeting U.S. emission requirements. The key new technology was Orbital's pnuematically-assisted direct-into-the-cylinder fuel injection system, which helps prevent the loss of unburned fuel directly out a two-stroke's exhaust port. The environmentally acceptable Orbital two-stroke offers fuel economy benefits and major weight savings over conventional four-stroke engines.
Initially, Orbital will manufacture the engine for its unnamed customer at a plant in Tecumseh, Michigan, and claims that its plant there can turn out as many as 100,000 engines a year. Later, the customer has the right to build the engine itself under a licensing arrangement.
Ford refused to identify itself as Orbital's customer in this order, but the company has been publicizing its testing program with the Orbital engine, with a fleet of 60 Fiestas equipped with the engine under test in Europe.