This Tiny Rotary Engine Is More Powerful Than It Looks

It's just a prototype, but it could serve as an onboard generator for electric vehicles.

Photo by: Avadi Engines, Inc.

By: Anthony Alaniz

Jul 16, 2024 at 2:00pm ET

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Combustion engines will probably be with us for a long time. Automakers like Toyota have announced new investments into gasoline powertrains, while enterprising companies like Avadi are radically redesigning them for a more sustainable future. Avadi's new engine prototype reimagines the rotary, replacing the spinning Dorito with a rotating piston.

The 0.25-liter, four-stroke engine has two independent, self-balancing connecting rods that attach the single rotating piston to a pair of pinion gears. They work in a scissor-like fashion to facilitate the rotation. The pinions ride on a fixed ring gear in the crankcase, resulting in a lighter, more powerful engine with less than half the number of moving parts of a traditional one.

The company believes its new engine design could be used in several applications, including passenger cars, but we shouldn't expect it to save combustion power. Avadi imagines the engine, which has scalable displacement, could be an onboard power generator for electric vehicles. It measures 12.0 inches long, 10.0 inches high, and 8.0 inches wide, weighing 23.6 pounds while producing 15.8 horsepower and 22.4 pound-feet of torque. That might not be enough to replenish a massive battery, but it's a start.

With EV sales slowing, automakers are launching new hybrids that utilize onboard generators, like the Mazda MX-30 and the new Ram 1500 Ramcharger. Mazda uses a 0.83-liter rotary engine that makes 74 horsepower to recharge the crossover's battery. Ram went a bit further in the power department, installing a 174-hp 3.6-liter V-6 engine in its hybrid pickup, but both are evidence that automakers are playing with powertrain configurations.

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The engine is just a prototype for now, but Avadi says on its website that it anticipates "the possibility of delivering customer engines in the near future." Even if we never see it in a passenger car, it could power motorcycles, ATVs, drones, lawnmowers, numerous recreational vehicles, and more.

Motor1 has reached out to Avadi to learn more about the current state of the project.