Pulstar(TM) Pulse Plugs Replace Spark Plugs to Increase Automotive Fuel Economy, Horsepower and Torque

Breakthrough design brings benefits to 100 year old commodity

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Nov. 15 -- Enerpulse, Inc. has developed Pulstar(TM) pulse plugs as a new drop-in replacement for all spark plugs, including so-called high performance spark plugs. Pulstar is designed to more efficiently ignite the fuel in an engine's cylinders increasing fuel economy, horsepower and torque. Pulstar pulse plugs look and fit like spark plugs, but incorporate an internal capacitor to deliver a spark 20,000 times more powerful than a spark plug with less cycle-to-cycle variation.

The visibly larger, more powerful spark ignites more of the fuel presented to the cylinder in a shorter period of time. This causes the combustion gases to expand more rapidly and push the cylinder down with more force. That turns the wheels with greater torque allowing your engine to get more work done with less gasoline or simply, more miles per gallon.

The umbrella technology under which capacitors is a subset, and how Pulstar got its name, is called pulsed power. Pulsed power is the term used to describe the science and technology of accumulating energy over a relatively long period of time (millionths of a second) and releasing it very quickly (billionths of a second) generating immense instantaneous power. Sandia National Laboratories is the world-wide epicenter of pulsed power development which explains why Albuquerque, not normally associated with automotive developments, has produced one of the most exciting automotive breakthroughs in decades.

Pulse plugs are safe for use in all vehicles. Even though their peak power is exponentially higher than so-called high performance spark plugs, the spark duration is so brief that no harm can come to engine components. Pulse plugs also improve combustion efficiency in all spark-ignited internal combustion engines, yielding better overall engine performance, with fuel consumption and associated green house gases reduced by as much as 10%.

Pulstar was also developed with retailers in mind. Typical retailers carry over 500 models of spark plugs. Pulstar requires only 5 model numbers with which to service 75% of all vehicles worldwide.

Pulstar holds eight U.S. and foreign patents. Internal tests conducted by Enerpulse using an actual driving cycle demonstrated a nearly 9 percent improvement in fuel efficiency. Results from the industry-recognized dynamometer test to determine torque and horsepower output showed a 4-10 percent improvement in torque and a 3-12 percent improvement in horsepower output over spark plugs.

Actual driving tests conducted under the Enerpulse Performance Evaluation Procedure demonstrate fuel economy benefits between 2.2 and 10.5%, depending mostly on engine displacement. Large bore SUV and light duty truck engines (V8s) respond more dramatically to Pulstar than small bore engines, which benefit from a significant improvement in torque.

Enerpulse, Inc. is a privately held company headquartered in Albuquerque, N.M. and develops environmentally friendly ignition products through the application of pulsed power technology.