Aprilia Launches Green Motorcycle
3 December 1998
Aprilia Launches Green MotorcyclePERTH, Western Australia, Dec. 3 -- Today at the Bologna Motor Show, Aprilia, Europe's fastest growing motorcycle manufacturer, announced their intent to have motorcycles and scooters using Orbital direct fuel injection technology in production and for sale within one year. This announcement follows the signing of agreements between Orbital, Synerject and Aprilia regarding Orbital technology, longer term fuel system supply and commercial terms. Aprilia intends to apply Orbital technology to their complete range of two-stroke engines during the agreement period. This decision by Aprilia follows extensive evaluations of Orbital technology and competitive analysis by Aprilia. Aprilia's President Mr. Ivano Beggio said "Aprilia has been working with Orbital on this new environmentally friendly technology for our range of motorcycles for about three years, and this technology now reduces petrol consumption by more than 40% whilst maintaining the same characteristic performance of a two-stroke engine." These engines have also demonstrated the ability to meet the most recent stringent European standards for reducing polluting emissions from the exhaust without the use of a catalyst. Aprilia displayed 50cc and 250cc models incorporating Orbital's direct fuel injection technology at the Bologna Motor Show. Aprilia is Europe's second largest and fastest growing motorcycle manufacturer, and following their recent win in the 125cc and 250cc world motorcycle championships, are seen as the industry leader in technical innovation. Aprilia currently produces more than 300,000 motorcycles per year, and this has grown at more than 25% per year over the last five years. Orbital is a leading international developer of engine technologies using direct in-cylinder fuel injection and lean burn systems for enhanced fuel economy and lower emissions. The company serves the worldwide automobile, marine recreational people in four facilities throughout the world. Orbital stock is traded on the Australian (OEC), New York (OE), Berlin (ORE) and Frankfurt (OREA) Stock Exchanges. Following is a copy of Aprilia's press announcement. Aprilia Future City Advanced Green Technology and High Performance Technology, research, performance and enthusiasm to ensure an environment- friendly future for urban mobility Aprilia has always worked to improve quality of life. Since the company's foundation, great attention has been devoted to the preservation and respect of our habitat. Innovative technologies and novel solutions have been sought, to ensure these values and feelings remain unchanged. Solutions that have become part of Aprilia's acquired technology and culture, confirm its hard earned status as a leader in the motorcycle field. This status has been achieved by anticipating the times and proposing new ideas in step with the present day needs of urban movers. Aprilia provides innovative solutions that never lose sight of low environmental impact performance, safety or the thrill of riding motor-cycles and scooters. As long ago as 1992, Aprilia was the first motor-cycle company to launch a catalyst equipped two-stroke scooter on the market: the Amico 50. Our ideas and technologies often went against the trend, as in 1993, when the company began to develop its most prestigious scooter, the Leonardo 125, choosing a high-performance water cooled, four valve four-stroke engine. This technical solution has been widely imitated and is still acknowledged as the best medium capacity engine. It combines performance and riding pleasure with a reduction in fuel consumption and low atmospheric pollution. Both the 125cc and 150cc versions anticipated the EURO 1 atmospheric pollution limits coming into force for all manufacturers next year. The ability to produce high performance, environmentally friendly technologies ahead of the market is one of Aprilia's fundamental product strategy objectives. The company has always been full of ideas, acting as a point of reference with regards to both design and technical decisions. In the challenging area of pollution reduction, Aprilia is preparing new technology that will re-write the rules of the game in the years ahead. Aprilia is firmly convinced that the small capacity two-stroke engine is still the best technical solution, able to combine low production costs, reliability, performance and riding pleasure. Research and experience have enabled Aprilia to introduce a completely new and revolutionary technology for two-stroke engines: Aprilia DITECH (Direct Injection Technology). Thanks to the innovative DITECH system (electronically controlled direct fuel injection), Aprilia will be able to: * Reduce fuel consumption of a traditional two-stroke carburetor engine by as much as 40% * Reduce polluting exhaust emission by 80% * Guarantee high performance DITECH is a technical solution so advanced that it makes the use of small capacity four-stroke engines outdated and decidedly less competitive. The technological revolution in two-stroke engines APRILIA DIRECT ELECTRONIC INJECTION - DITECH Carburetor two-stroke engines have high specific horsepower. They have reduced weight and dimensions, simple construction, with decidedly lower production costs when compared to a four-stroke engine of similar power output. For this reason two-stroke engines are the ideal solution for powering scooters. Urban mobility, however, is only one of the specific applications of these engines; just think of the most prestigious world competitions, where "two-stroke" is also synonymous with absolute high performance. With the strength of this experience, Aprilia also proposes the RS 250, a two-stroke engine with really exciting performance; plenty of horsepower and contained weight. However, the two-stroke engine does have its disadvantages. There is still room for improvement: the fuel consumption of these power units is quite high and they produce more atmospheric pollution of certain types than optimized four-stroke engines. These disadvantages are mainly due to the scavenging phase in which the fresh induction charge of fuel and oil "short circuits" the exhaust port. This phenomenon of fuel lost directly to the exhaust also causes misfiring and irregular combustion. The application of electronic direct injection to two-stroke engines maintains their inherent advantages, overcoming all of their disadvantages, in carburetor configuration. APRILIA DITECH: drastic reduction in fuel consumption and atmospheric pollution Based on years of research, experimentation and competitive analysis, Aprilia presents DITECH (Direct Injection Technology), the new direct electronic injection system. Exceptional technical characteristics allow it to transfer the two-stroke engine into an environment-friendly and fully functional power plant. * DITECH virtually eliminates the escape of uncombusted fuel and oil from the exhaust. Unlike the carburetor engine (where the chamber is scavenged with a fuel and air mixture, allowing a lot of fuel to be taken directly into the exhaust and therefore released into the atmosphere), the Aprilia DITECH allows the chamber to be scavenged with fresh air, ensuring that the fuel spray commences only when the exhaust port is closed. * Regular ignition and combustion are ensured, optimized at all engine speeds. This minimizes the escape of uncombusted fuel from the exhaust. In carburetor engines, the fuel and air mixture is not always ignited with each piston stroke, consequently the irregular ignition allows an amount of fuel and oil to be released directly into the exhaust. This problem is solved thanks to the electronically controlled direct injection of fuel into the combustion chamber. * Optimized combustion is possible thanks to the use of a direct charge injector which provides a "stratified charge." In a traditional engine the combustion mixture normally consists of 1 part fuel to 14 parts air. With DITECH we can use an enriched mixture only in the part of the combustion chamber near the plug. This permits firing even in areas where the mixture is so weak that normal combustion is impossible. Thanks to this technology, DITECH uses a leaner mixture, consisting of 1 part fuel to 30/50 parts air (50 with the engine at idle speed). These values are similar to those found in a typical diesel engine. * Thanks to the use of an electronically controlled oil pump, oil consumption is notably reduced. For instance, at idle, consumption is so low that the engine requires just one drop of oil every five minutes. With the electronic oil pump we have achieved a 30% reduction in oil consumption. With DITECH direct injection, we are able to cut fuel consumption by an average of 40%, while maintaining the same characteristic performance of the traditional two-stroke engine. Having illustrated the fuel and oil consumption reductions achieved with the DITECH system, we would also like to emphasize the consequent exceptional results in terms of polluting emissions from the engine. The ability to meet the most recent and stringent European exhaust emissions standards, without the use of a catalyst, is testimony to the low environmental impact of this system. It is important to note that system efficiency does not deteriorate over time and there is no need for maintenance or replacement of fuel system parts. The DITECH system makes it possible to cut the combined emissions of hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides (HC+NOx) by 80% in comparison to a conventional two-stroke engine with carburetor. Carbon dioxide (CO) emissions are practically eliminated, being reduced 10 times in absolute value. CO output results obtained are far better than for a four-stroke engine tuned for high power output. In order to guarantee comparable DITECH two-stroke performance a similar size four-stroke will require extremely sophisticated and costly emissions solutions. APRILIA DITECH: longer engine life All two-stroke engines equipped with the DITECH system will have a longer life than a normal two-stroke engine. In the traditional two-stroke engine, fuel, air and oil enter the crankcase together. The oil is diluted by the fuel and washed away, thus losing a percentage of its lubricating effect, so more oil is needed. In a DITECH engine, only air and oil enter the crankcase, with the fuel being injected directly into the combustion chamber. The oil is better retained on the internal engine components and on the walls of the cylinder, ensuring optimized lubrication. This in turn guarantees longer engine life and lower running costs due to reduced consumption. APRILIA DITECH: improved user comfort Use of the Aprilia DITECH system also guarantees a considerable improvement of user comfort. Optimized control of the lubricant taken into the engine not only allows a considerable reduction of consumption, but also guarantees the absence of excessive exhaust smoke due to burnt oil. The unpleasant characteristic smell of two-stroke engines and the emission of fastidious, uncombusted oil particles are considerably reduced. Thanks to its electronic control, DITECH also makes it easier to start the vehicle when cold. We have also achieved a considerable vibration improvement, especially at engine idle, where irregular combustion causes particularly annoying vibrations when the vehicle is at rest. APRILIA DITECH: high performance In keeping with Aprilia tradition, DITECH technology ensures high performance. Unlike other environment-friendly systems or solutions, Aprilia has succeeded in transferring the great experience acquired in racing, optimizing this technology in terms of performance, whilst ensuring very low emissions and consumption. Vehicles equipped with DITECH will not only maintain the quality standards typical of every Aprilia motor-cycle or scooter, but will perform even better, maintaining the pleasure and excitement of efficient, safe and satisfying riding in all conditions. APRILIA DITECH SYSTEM PARTS AND OPERATION 1. FUEL PUMP Conveys the fuel from the tank to the fuel rail. It is not a conventional fuel pump but an innovative pump which operates at high pressure by typical automotive standards, approximately 6 Bar. Despite the high performance, the electrical power requirements of the pump are extremely low in comparison with a conventional pump. 2. FUEL RAIL This consists of three different main components: * Fuel Injector This measures the fuel charge per engine stroke, injecting a precise amount of fuel into the Direct Injector (described below). This injector, vital for the DITECH system's accuracy, is highly reliable since it is of the type used in the automobile field. Already produced by the million and tested in every condition, it ensures maximum reliability and operating precision. * Direct Injector (charge injector, mix injector) The fundamental part of the system, this fully electronically controlled injector has the task of mixing the fuel from the Fuel Injector with compressed air and introducing it directly into the combustion chamber. The compressed air provides the force behind the fuel injection and more importantly, the atomization of the injected fuel charge. The fuel/air mixture is highly nebulized, radically improving the quality (density, force and form) of the spray inside the combustion, thus the performance of the system. To give an idea of the precision required of this component, a typical car injector atomizes the fuel particle to 50 microns in size (Sauter mean diameter measurement). A typical direct injection diesel engine sizes are 25-30 microns. The DITECH system produces a droplet size of 8 microns (SMD). This spray can evaporate in less than one millisecond, less that the time needed for and engine operating at 12 000 rpm * Pressure Regulator The Fuel Injector works due to a difference in pressure between the fuel and compressed air circuits. The regulator ensures precise operation of the fuel injector. 3. COMPRESSOR The compressor, operating at 5 bar, delivers compressed air to the Direct Injector. Please note that the air compressor's role is to atomize the injected fuel charge, not that of a "Super charger" compressor of an automobile engine. The compressor is driven by a cam integrated into the crank web of the engine crankshaft. This technical solution has made it possible to avoid using an external compressor, that would be far more complex with connecting tubes, autonomous lubrication circuit, aspiration of filtered air and above all more expensive. Lubrication of the pump, which is essential for correct function and reliability, is ensured by drawing its air from inside the crank chamber where the oil is already present. 4. OIL PUMP The oil pump is an electronically actuated solenoid pump, that provides maximum operating precision. Utilizing inputs to the electronic control unit, the DITECH system ensures that just the correct amount of oil required to lubricate the engine is always used. This provides improved engine protection and oil consumption reductions of 30 percent and more. 5. IGNITION The system requires powerful, precise and reliable ignition. Only in this way can we ensure complete combustion and therefore engine efficiency and reduction in toxic exhaust gases. 6. ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT (ECU) The brain of the system, a super compact electronic control unit, completely controls and manages the engine. The control unit controls: * Injection quantities and timing * Ignition time * Oil pump operation * Anti-theft system options * Continuous self-diagnosis of all electronic components of the system, indicating any malfunctions. The control unit manages all functions by gathering information in real time on engine revolutions, engine temperature and angle of the throttle valve. 7. THROTTLE VALVE The throttle valve controls engine airflow like that of a normal carburetor, but is much simpler and smaller. The valve has an electronic sensor known as the TPS (Throttle Position Sensor) which senses throttle position and transmits the information to the electronic control unit. TECHNOLOGICAL PARTNERS OF THE APRILIA DITECH SYSTEM Experience, intuition, innovation and research also mean finding the ideal partners with whom to seek new ways, to experiment solutions that will become leaders. The fundamental component in the network structure of a company such as Aprilia is collaboration with the best suppliers and the most highly qualified technology partners. Once again this has enabled Aprilia to choose the most capable and innovative partners, focusing on the real objectives that will mark a fundamental chapter in the history of two wheeled urban mobility: the DITECH direct fuel injection system. Our partners in this exciting venture are: ORBITAL ENGINE COMPANY is the technological partner who developed OCP technology (Orbital Combustion Process) on which the DITECH system is based. SIEMENS AUTOMOTIVE is Orbital's industrial partner, the world's leading manufacturer of injection systems. SYNERJECT LLC is the company, formed by the partnership between these two great names, which will industrialize and supply the system. SYNERJECT guarantees the large-scale production of this technology.