----- Original Message -----
From: "Rotary Engine" <rotaryeng@earthlink.net>
To: "AAA Put this in the To box" <rotaryeng@earthlink.net>
Sent: Sunday, February 13, 2011 4:42 AM
Subject: Audi Rotary

I see where Audi is introducing the 2011 A1 e-tron electric car with a
254cc rotary engine to power a 15kw generator.  Does anyone have any
info on this engine?

Mike Perry
Long Ez
N981MP
Mazda 13B

If true it is probably the SuperTech engine

http://www.wankelsupertec.de/

Where did you see the info Mike?

Paul Lamar
--

 March issue of Popular Mechanics, page 36.

 Mike Perry

 Here is the web site.

 http://tinyurl.com/5t5sozb

 That is a tiny engine. My guess is 25 HP.

 "The Wankel weighs in at just 154 lbs and displaces just 254 cc of volume
in its single rotor.  The whole unit is small enough to sit below the cargo
floor of the A1.  Running at a constant 5,000 rpm, the rotary motor can
extend the A1 e-tron's range to 130 miles.  Why not longer?  The fuel tank
holds only 3.17 gallons.  With the Wankel running, Audi says the A1 e-tron
will return about 124 miles per gallon U.S."


 That weight must be engine and generator.


 Paul Lamar



Hi,  if you follow the AVL link to their 2010 magazine there is a picture
and a little info on their rotary/generator range extender.

Murry I. Rozansky

Thanks for the tip Murry.

https://www.avl.com/media-publications

I can't tell much about the intake and exhaust system
but it looks like one could saw off the generator and use
just the engine. It has an interesting shape for the depression
in the rotor. I have seen other similar shapes in other Wankels
and it seems to be a promising area for development.

The key is rotor cooling. It does not look like a charged
cooled rotor so that is promising. It appears to be
an oil cooled rotor.

Paul Lamar

Paul, eons ago I brought this to the attention of your email list,  it may
even be Direct Injected...

Go here:

http://tinyurl.com/4nkl8ln
My best,

Anthony

"It's starting to look more and more likely that the Wankel rotary engine could have a future as an electric vehicle range extender. Felix Wankel's original concept was once seen as having great potential because of its high power density compared to piston engines. Unfortunately, the manufacturing processes available in the 1960s and 1970s made it difficult to achieve adequate durability without high oil consumption and excessive emissions.

The combination of high precision machining, new materials and technologies like direct injection can help overcome many of those issues. Add in the ability to optimize the engine to operate within a narrow speed range as a range extender and this could be a winning combination. Wankels are also well suited for use with alternative fuels, including hydrogen.

Powertrain engineering firm AVL has built a prototype Mini with an ER-EV powertrain that uses a 254 cc single-rotor Wankel to produce 15 kilowatts at 5,000 rpm or 25 kW at 7,000 rpm. The 10 kilowatt-hour battery gives the car a 19-mile electric range and a 2.6-gallon gas tank extends the range to 124 miles. The complete package of rotary, generator, power electronics and cooling weighs just 143 pounds. By comparison, the more powerful 75 kW 1.4-liter inline-four in the Chevrolet Volt weighs approximately 200 pounds for the engine alone. Even a more powerful complete Wankel setup could probably still come in below the weight of the piston engine. "