Proven in thousands of military drone aircraft, the lightweight and power-dense Wankel rotary still aims for a future...as a zero-emission range extender. Could the Wankel rotary engine have a major future as a hydrogen-fueled, zero-emissions range-extender engine? Fuel cells are still under development and there are technical hurdles and production costs to overcome. Reciprocating engines are generally too heavy and complex for rangeextender application, experts believe. Furthermore, hydrogen fuel - necessary for zero emissions - presents many difficulties when used in reciprocating engines. These issues are evaded in the rotary engine where the cool intake chamber is remote from the combustion zone.
展开▼
