New Rotary Engine for Hybrids

A lightweight rotary engine called the Rand Cam is currently being tested for use as a generator in hybrid electric vehicles. The diesel-fueled engine has only two moving parts: the vanes and the rotor. The design allows for 24 power impulses per rotation. Weighing 40 pounds and producing 42 horsepower, the Rand Cam engine is half the weight and two to three times as powerful as the gasoline-fueled Wankel rotary engine. At less than one pound per horsepower, the Rand Cam has much more weight-specific power than the six to seven pounds per horsepower of a reciprocating engine. The engine is also being tested in unmanned aerial applications for the U.S. military.

A licensing agreement recently reached between Reg Technologies and REGI U.S. gives Reg Technologies the rights to the Rand Cam engine in Canada and several European countries including Germany, France, Great Britain, and Italy. The firm will also assume half of the costs for development and production of the Rand Cam technology. REGI U.S. holds the licensing rights in the United States.