China Launches Diesel Engine With The Highest Heat Efficiency In The World

JAKARTA - The Chinese company launched a diesel engine that is claimed to have the highest heat efficiency in the world, namely 53.09 percent so that it can save fuel and reduce exhaust emissions.

Two test institutions, namely TryptV SUD from Germany and China Automotive Technology and Research Center (CATARC) from China provide a professional test pass certification for the engine made by the Weichai Power company.

"TUV SUD has tested the diesel engine of this company and test results show the engine can perform thermal efficiency," said Deputy President of TUV SUD He Nuobe as quoted by Antara, Sunday, April 21.

"He believes this is not only the work of the company but the result of the cooperation of researchers in China and he is waiting for further breakthroughs," said He Nuobe.

The machine was introduced to the public for the first time at the opening of the 2024 World Congress of Internal Burning Machines (World Congress on Internal Combustion Engines) which was held in Tianjin and attended by various academics and practitioners from China, Germany, Britain, Japan, the United States, Canada, Spain, Japan, and other countries.

"Internal combustion engine" (ICE) or inner combustion motorbike is a burning motorcycle engine whose combustion process is in the construction of the machine itself to produce heat energy changes. For example, machines used in cars, motorcycles, heavy vehicles, buses, ships, aircraft, power generation stations and generator sets (gensets).

The main advantage of using ICE is that it has strong power to move vehicles at high speed and efficiently, but the shortage of exhaust emissions such as carbon dioxide and other pollutants has become the main contributor to climate change.

"It is important to innovate and break down obstacles in technology. Especially now that people are obsessed with news and financial benefits so that there is a need for an internal combustion engine that is both energy efficient and low in carbon," said CATRC Chair An Tiecheng.

CATRC is a government-owned research institute that helps many automotive car and spare parts manufacturers in product testing for the Chinese market.

"This breakthrough can be carried out with integration between industry, academics and field research. We must continue to work hard, including diversifying in the field of 'big data', remote monitoring technology, carbonless vehicles, as well as testing and evaluation technology to encourage pollution reduction and synergy in the automotive industry," added An Tiecheng.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Chinese Science and Technology Association Wan Gang in his remarks mentioned the opportunity of the auto industry to make innovations for environmentally friendly vehicles has a very large market.

"In 2023, the total electric and hybrid (hybrid) cars sold in China were 4.5 million units out of a total of 9.5 units of similar vehicles sold in the world and 70.4 percent of them were pure electric cars," said Wan Gang.

Of the number of electric cars sold, Wan Wang said China's internal combustion engine industry also had the opportunity to gain the market by transforming using low-carbon engines.

According to him, currently a hybrid car is being developed which only needs less than 4 liters of gasoline to cover a distance of 100 kilometers. Development for large vehicles such as buses, logistics transportation, trucks using hydrogen engines is also open.

In producing diesel engines with thermal efficiency, the company Weichai Power has formed a research and development team since 2015. As a result, on September 16, 2020, Weichai Power released the first diesel engine with a thermal efficiency of 50.23 percent.

Two years later, the level of efficiency increased to 51.09-52.28 percent (2022) and 53.09 percent in 2024. With the thermal efficiency of 53.09 percent, Weichai Power said the use of diesel engines could save 14 percent of the economy.

When using diesel engine usage data across China and if engines can perform heat efficiency of up to 53 percent, fuel that can be saved reaches 31 million tons, and reducible carbon emissions reach up to 97 tons each year.

This means that with the use of diesel engine tractors that work 250,000 kilometers a year, it means that 12 thousand liters of diesel are saved. If the current diesel price is 7.8 yuan per liter (around Rp. 17,413) then it can save 98 thousand yuan per year (around Rp. 219 million).