Renault reveals a twin-charged 2 stroke diesel engine

Renault has revealed the 'POWERFUL', a small displacement 2-stroke diesel engine. The two-cylinder engine is said to be half the size of Renault's 1.5-litre dCi diesel motor & weighs 40 kg less. POWERFUL (short for 'POWERtrain for Future Light-duty vehicles') is a 730cc unit that is both super-charged and turbo-charged. Official output figures range between 48hp-68hp with 112-145Nm of torque from 1,500rpm.

The engine is being developed with 18 industrial, scientific and academic partners in France, Spain and the Czech Republic, with investment from the European Union. Renault says that initial tests have been encouraging, but it won't be introduced just yet as performance figures haven't met their requirements.

Additionally, Renault and its partners are looking at a mild hybrid diesel prototype (HYDIVU project) and a small electric delivery vehicle based on the Twizy (VELUD project).