Toyota Invents Free Piston.

http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-cult...toyota-engine/

Cool read

 

Neat. Thanks for posting.

 

Interesting!

 

It's a big step towards long range battery technology without waiting for high capacity and infrastructure acceptance for charging stations, etc.

 

electronic valves too. nooice.

 

Huge advancement for hybrids

 

How about a throwback alternative engine design without a rotating crankshaft...
http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-cult...g=roa&click=yr

 

The weakness in the design looks like the spring at the bottom of travel to rebound the piston and provide compression. Why not have a combustion event at both ends of the piston travel? Timing would be 180* opposed. Bench engineering

this crankless recip design reminds me of opposed piston design.

 

I agree and thought about that as well. I would think due to the design and how compact is it, that a modularized maintenance or spring replacement part after X amount might solve this problem.

Since it's not running continuously but only for long range that it would last a while.