Freedom Motors Rotary Engine Emissions Very Low In Tests
11 December 1998
Freedom Motors Rotary Engine Emissions Very Low In Tests Conducted At CARB El Monte Test Facility
DAVIS, Calif.--Dec. 10, 1998--In tests conducted in December 1998 on Freedom Motor's 110
horsepower carburated rotary engine mounted in a standard jet ski
personal watercraft at California Air Resources Board El Monte,
CA test facility, the emissions of unburned hydrocarbons in parts
per million were significantly lower than a 1998, carburated,
Rotax two-stroke, 90 horsepower engine mounted in a similar craft
and tested under the same conditions
Freedom Motors, headquartered here, presented testimony on its rotary engine emission levels to the California Air Resources Board at the Board's hearing held today in Sacramento. Unburned hydrocarbons produced by Freedom Motor's Rotapower, four-stroke, 110 horsepower, carburated engine were less than 10% of the unburned hydrocarbons produced by a traditional personal watercraft two-stroke engine, over exactly the same driving cycle.
Unburned hydrocarbons are the predominate emission from two-stroke marine engines used in personal watercraft and outboard marine engines. CARB has proposed regulations that will require an estimated 85% reduction in the emission levels from these vehicles by the year 2008.
"Freedom Motors, after 15 years of advanced research and development with partners such as NASA, DARPA, GE and Hughes Aircraft," said Tom Fletcher, General Manager of Freedom Motors, at the CARB hearing, "believes that all the proposed CARB standards are easily obtainable in the state timeframes, from now out through 2008. And, we believe that no technology breakthroughs are necessary to provide the marine industry an alternative that achieves equivalents, if not improved, product performance at equivalent, if not lower, current production costs."
Freedom Motors is a manufacturer of rotary engines designed for various recreational, industrial and transportation applications including personal watercraft, snow mobiles, portable generators and pumps. The environmentally clean rotary eliminates over 98% of the total emissions of piston engines; as fuel efficient as the best four-stroke piston engine; compact (10 HP model fits in the palm of your hand and a 160 HP model fits into a 5 gallon bucket); low cost, low vibration, low noise and capable of using multiple fuels including natural gas, diesel, alcohol and gasoline.