The Combustion Engine Reimagined
We reinvented the internal combustion engine, starting with our patented thermodynamic cycle which has won us $30M in government grants to develop our technology. Now we’re ready to release our most advanced engine yet, the XTS-210. Our supercharged, liquid-cooled engine delivers up to 5X the power-to-weight ratio of a legacy engine and can run on fuels from gasoline to hydrogen.
This is the future of power.
why invest?
a better engine - by the numbers
82
2
10x
18
100
$400B
Small gasoline engines are inefficient. diesel engines are big and heavy. WE ASKED OURSELVES WHY?
LPI has developed two core technologies, a patented thermodynamic cycle and our patented X-Engine™.
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Father and Son Reinvent the Engine
Dr. Alexander Shkolnik and his father Dr. Nikolay Shkolnik founded LiquidPiston with a radical idea: Instead of trying to make a slightly better engine, what if they created a completely new thermodynamic cycle? That’s exactly what they did. Their patented thermodynamic cycle unlocks up to 10X the power of a traditional engine while being able to run on a variety of fuels like hydrogen.
Liquidpiston Innovations
HEHC™ CYCLE
LiquidPiston has rethought the engine starting with first principles - revisiting the thermodynamic cycle - and innovating in a space that hasn't changed in over 100 years! This cycle has the potential to be up to 30% more fuel efficient than traditional Otto or Diesel cycles.
LiquidPiston has patented the High-Efficiency Hybrid Cycle (HEHC), which includes:
High Compression Ratio (i.e. Diesel cycle): For maximum efficiency, air is compressed to a high compression ratio, fuel is injected and compression is ignited (CI-HEHC). Our initial prototype - the "X-Mini" - utilizes a spark-ignition (SI-HEHC) version of the cycle with a lower compression ratio standard for gasoline engines. The advantage of SI-HEHC is compatibility with a range of fuels including Diesel, gasoline, jet fuel, propane, and even hydrogen
Constant-Volume combustion (i.e. Otto cycle): A dwell near top-dead-center (TDC) allows more time for fuel-air mixing and forces combustion to occur at nearly constant-volume conditions.
Over-expansion (i.e. Atkinson cycle): Combustion products are over-expanded using a larger expansion volume than compression volume, as in the Atkinson Cycle.
Cycle-skipping power modulation may also be utilized, which allows high efficiencies at low power settings while simultaneously cooling the engine’s walls internally and providing partial heat recovery.
X-Engine vs. Wankel
Our patented X-Engine solves the problems of the rotary engine without sacrificing the benefits. It’s simple - having only two moving parts, has practically zero vibration, is extremely compact and lightweight, and can run on heavy fuel, gasoline, and even gaseous fuels like propane and hydrogen.
We turned the traditional Wankel inside out. Traditional Wankels have a triangular rotor in a "peanut" shaped (trochoidal) housing. We have a peanut-shaped (trochoidal) rotor within a tri-lobed-shaped housing. By turning the rotary "inside out", the X-Engine has stationary apex (tip) seals that can be directly lubricated. Furthermore, the long, skinny, rotating combustion chamber of the Wankel - becomes a stationary combustion chamber within the housing that can be optimized for better fuel-air mixing and combustion. In this way, we address many of the challenges of the old Wankel rotary including sealing, cooling, lubrication, emissions, and efficiency.
LiquidPiston Was Featured On…
The Discovery Channel / Daily Planet Show
How It’s Made
Season 31 Episode 09
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LIQUIDPISTON IS TACKLING THE GLOBAL INTERNAL COMBUSTION MARKET.
Military & Aerospace¹
Whether it’s a drone that can fly faster and farther or the ability to fit 11 generators on a pallet instead of two, our small, versatile engines are solving some of the biggest problems for the military. No wonder the Department of Defense has awarded us over $30M to date.
Automotive¹
Demand for electric vehicles is off the charts, with an expected growth of 380% more EVs on the road by 2030. That’s creating a problem. The demand for EVs is causing a shortage in precious metals like lithium. By using our engine we can make hybrid electric cars with 80% smaller batteries.
Urban Air Mobility (UAM)¹
Planes are typically painted white because it weighs less than darker colors. If the color of the paint matters this much, imagine how important the weight of the engine is. By getting the same power with up to a 10X smaller engine, we’re opening up possibilities for air taxis.
Unmanned aerial systems (UAS)2
One of the key features of our Hybrid Electric X-Engine propulsion system powering drones is the ability to turn the engine on and off mid-flight while leveraging an electric motor for quiet cruise or electric-assist sprint and climb modes. Not only does that save fuel, but lets the drone quietly move into sensitive areas with advanced capability. The innovation made us an award winner in the US Army xTechSearch 3.0 competition.
MOBILE / BACKUP / DISTRIBUTED POWER GENERATION3
Whether it’s bringing electric power to the front lines or to a city recovering from a natural disaster, today’s bulky generators don’t make it easy. Current 10kW diesel generators weigh nearly 1,000 pounds. But by using our engine we can make equally powerful gensets that can be carried by hand.
Hydrogen-fueled engines¹
Our engines have been demonstrated on a variety of fuels, including diesel, gasoline, jet fuel, and recently even hydrogen. The exhaust from hydrogen combustion is primarily water. This unlocks a 100% green energy solution for the combustion engine market.
[1] Image for reference, showing future potential market
[2] LiquidPiston Hybrid Electric X-Engine (HEXE) Army Demonstrator vehicle
[3] LiquidPiston Compact Artillery Power System (CAPS), 2 kW Jet-fueled hybrid generator
$30M IN DOD, DARPA, AND ARMY CONTRACTS
When it comes to engines, bigger doesn’t mean better. Imagine moving 1,000 pound generators (and the fuel to power them) to a desert base. Or powering an unmanned aircraft where weight comes at a premium. We’re actively solving these problems for the military.
Demonstration of Hybrid Electric X-Engine using jet fuel in 55lb UAV for the Army which led to multiple contract awards.
LiquidPiston 30kW Generator concept (11 on left) vs. 30kW AMMPS genset (2 on right) means more generators per pallet - a game changer for the military
We Make the Cars of the Future Possible
Hybrid Electrification
Battery-powered electric vehicles have challenges on the path to a renewable future. A typical electric battery weighs over 1,000 pounds and the amount of lithium, cobalt, and nickel currently needed to make them is unsustainable. Our small, efficient engines in a hybrid-electric car can make it possible for the battery to be up to 5X smaller.
Hydrogen
Lightweight & Compact
Up to 80% smaller and lighter than the traditional piston Diesel engines.
Simplicity
Only two primary moving parts, optimally balanced.
High-Efficiency and Lower Fuel Consumption
The optimized thermodynamic cycle has the potential to decrease fuel consumption by 30%, thereby lowering CO2 emissions and the cost of running an engine
Quiet and Near-Zero Vibration
With lower pressure exhaust and just two moving components that are optimally balanced, the engine is inherently quiet, and offers exceptionally low vibration.
We have 64 patents, 44 Issued and 20 Pending
We have 64 patents, 44 Issued and 20 Pending
Future revenue streams
LiquidPiston is presently developing its 5th generation engine architecture, with prototype development of the X-Engine and application demonstrators, largely funded by DoD contracts. We aren’t stopping there. We envision three future revenue streams while we expand our footprint into various commercial as well as military application markets:
LPI stock price over time
On March 09, 2022 we effected a ten-for-one (10:1) forward “stock split.” As a result of this split, each share of the Company’s Common Stock was split into ten (10) shares of Common Stock. This 10:1 stock split means that effectively the share price is reduced by 10x (while the number of shares is increased by 10x). Therefore, if you paid $54 per share in the last reg A campaign, this means that post-split, you will hold 10x as many shares, but at an effective share price of $5.40 per share.
Company updates
LiquidPiston Introduces XTS-210: a 25-Horsepower Heavy-Fueled Rotary Engine in a Basketball-Sized Package
LiquidPiston Expands Facilities and Acquires R&D Assets
LiquidPiston Appoints Peter Hartman as Vice President of Engineering
PRESS
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$10,000
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$50,000
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THE TEAM
Alexander Shkolnik
Nikolay Shkolnik
Per Suneby
FAQ
We turned the traditional Wankel inside out. Traditional Wankels have a triangular rotor in a "peanut" shaped (trochoidal) housing. We have a peanut-shaped (trochoidal) rotor within a tri-lobed-shaped housing. By turning the rotary "inside out", the X-Engine has stationary apex (tip) seals that can be directly lubricated. Furthermore, the long, skinny, rotating combustion chamber of the Wankel - becomes a stationary combustion chamber within the housing that can be optimized for better fuel-air mixing and combustion. In this way, we address many of the challenges of the old Wankel rotary including sealing, cooling, lubrication, emissions, and efficiency.
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