Here's the thing:
Back in ~2009 you couldn't 3D metal print one of these.
Now it looks to be
VERY-VERY EASY!?
We'd need the full blueprints, but as Big Oil/Car is obviously NOT interested, a donation type payment system might be acceptable to welcomed by Norbert Mueller and co..?
No cooling system!
It should be scalable down to ~1kw or smaller (for e-bikes etc) without any loss in efficiency.
I dont yet fully understand how it works, but this looks to be a one moving part, very cheap, very efficient, constant rpm (series hybrid) solution!?
In short:
No one here can, in good conscience, brag about having the most efficient car after learning about this!+?
IMHO Ecomodder, as a group, should put itself on the map by actively pursuing this..!?
No pistons, no crank - wave disk engine is super efficient
...a wave-disk generator, or WDG, said to
use about 60% of the fuel it burns for propulsion, which compares favorably to the 15% of fuel directed toward propulsion from conventional internal combustion engines.
The wave disk engine is
the product of a Michigan State University research team led by Norbert Mueller, an associate professor of mechanical engineering. The researchers have been working on the idea for the past three years and aim to produce a vehicle-size engine/generator.
The engine gets its name from the wave-like pattern making up channels on its housing. Fuel and air enter and mix through inlets at the center axis of the device. The rotor then spins and blocks the exit of gasses. Pressure builds in the combustion chamber, eventually generating a shock wave that will compress the mixture. Once it is ignited, apparently via a process analogous to that in diesel engines, an outlet opens to let the hot gases escape.
...Researchers say the WDG also can
reduce carbon dioxide emissions by as much as 95% compared to modern internal combustion vehicle engines. In hybrid vehicles...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wave_disk_engine