Back to the top Achates Power Fundamentally Better Engines Industry Leading Engine Solutions Enabling technology for best-in-class engines. Achates Power works with leading engine companies, licensing designs, development and test tools, software, and patents that enable engines for a range of applications that reduce CO2 and criteria emissions and provide robust compliance in a cost-effective manner. Tomorrow’s cars and trucks need to emit fewer harmful emissions and do so while remaining practical and affordable for customers. The company has concurrent customers whose contracts encompass four key engine applications: Passenger Vehicles Medium- and Heavy-Duty Commercial Vehicles Military Vehicles Off-Road/Power Generation Accelerating Economic Transportation Achates Power provides economic value to its customers while accelerating positive impact on the environment. The company’s Opposed-Piston Engine design allows for transportation that is proven to be: Clean More Efficient Lower Cost Robust Compliance Our History Makes Us Who We Are Today 1882 James Atkinson developed the Atkinson cycle. The first version of this was an Opposed-Piston Engine, known as the Atkinson differential engine. 1898 W. von Oechelhäuser developed the Opposed-Piston Engine using the two-stroke cycle. 1900 Gobron-Brillié is believed to have created smaller versions of Opposed-Piston Engines. 1904 A Gobron-Brillié car becomes the first car ever to exceed 100 mph. 1907 First prototype of a diesel engine with opposed pistons is built, designed by Raymond A. Koreyvo. 1920 - 1990 Doxford manufactured Opposed-Piston Engines for use in a wide range of ships. 1930 - 1945 One of the most notable Opposed-Piston Engines in history was the Junkers Jumo engine, which was developed by Professor Hugo Junkers and was a prominent fixture in World War II airplanes. 1932 - Current Kharkov manufactures 6TD Opposed-Piston Engines to be used in Russian tanks. 1934 - Current Fairbanks Morse manufacturers 38D81/8 Opposed-Piston Engines for use in U.S. submarines, freighters and trains. 1952 - 1974 Rootes manufactured TS3 Opposed-Piston Engines for use in U.K. commercial trucks. 1952 - Current The Napier Deltic engine is manufactured for high-speed trains and naval fast-patrol boats. 1955 - Current Rolls Royce manufactures the K60 Opposed-Piston Engines for military applications. 1960s - 1995 The Leyland L60 is manufactured for the U.K.-produced Chieftain Battle Tank. 1970 The U.S. enacted the Clean Air Act, which set federal emissions standards for all motor vehicles. The typical Opposed-Piston Engine available at that time featured comparatively high NOx and soot. This stunted development of Opposed-Piston Engines for on-road applications. 2004 Achates Power was launched by James Lemke and John Walton. With advancements in technology and innovative engineering methods, Achates Power has created a more fuel-efficient Opposed-Piston, two-stroke engine that meets today’s stringent emissions standards. 2012 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requires manufacturers to achieve a combined fleet wide average fuel economy within 40.3 to 41 miles per gallon by 2021. 2013 Power systems company Fairbanks Morse Engine and Achates Power partner to improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions for Fairbanks Morse diesel and dual-fuel Opposed-Piston Engines. 2015 Achates Power opens its Midwest Operations in Metro Detroit to satisfy the demands of new customer contracts and rapid growth. 2015 Achates Power is awarded a $14 million project to support research and development work for the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC). 2015 Achates Power receives a $9 million award from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop an Opposed-Piston Gasoline Compression Ignition Engine (OPGCI). 2018 Achates Power Opposed-Piston Diesel Engine heavy-duty truck project partnership wins the 2018 CARB Award. 2019 ARPA-E awards $2 millon grant for Hybrid Opposed-Piston Engine to Achates Power. Dr. James Lemke, a serial entrepreneur with a history of founding and leading companies, and a personal passion for science, engineering, and education, conceived of Achates Power with an idea that would transform the transportation industry by revitalizing the opposed-piston, two-stroke engine. As an influential physicist and entrepreneur holding more than 100 patents, Lemke understood that access to affordable and reliable transportation improves lives, but that transportation needed to be markedly more sustainable if we are to meet our energy and environmental goals. That solution came in a 1930s-era engine architecture that demonstrated great potential, but momentum had dissipated when the tools of the time could not produce a clean and reliable version. Lemke’s idea was that modern tools and components could be used to create clean and reliable designs while optimizing the inherent efficiency advantage of OP engines. In 2004, he partnered with his long-time friend, John Walton, to form Achates Power. They were joined by a collection of bright engineers and scientists and established a culture where ideas and discourse flow unabated and the expectation that each fulfills their utmost potential. While amassing top talent in the industry, Lemke’s vision began to manifest results. The Achates Power engine demonstrates as much as a 30-percent fuel efficiency improvement compared to the industry’s engines with comparable or better emissions and cost. Jim Lemke passed away in 2019. We are proud to continue his legacy by demonstrating that practical, reliable, cost-effective transportation can be made substantially less harmful to our environment. 4060 Sorrento Valley Blvd. San Diego, CA 92121 +1 858.535.9920 Quick Navigate Home About Achates Purchasing Terms Privacy Policy News & Blog Resources Careers Contact Subscribe to the Achates Power Newsletter © 2020 Achates Power, Inc. All rights reserved.