GREEN MOTORING:MICROSOFT FOUNDER Bill Gates and Sun Microsystems founder Vinod Khosla are financially backing the development of a lean engine that features half as many moving parts as a conventional engine and is 50 per cent more fuel efficient.
Their $23.5 million (around €18.3 million) investment in US-based EcoMotors International – whose chief executive is Don Runkle, former vice president of engineering at General Motors – will enable the company to complete development and testing of their Opoc (opposed piston, opposed cylinder) engine.
It is a suitable replacement for conventional engines in any application, including land, marine and air transport, agriculture and auxiliary power generation, according to a spokesperson for the company.
