The Workhorse of Society
Wherever there is hard work to be done, there is very often an internal combustion engine powering the mechanised part of the task.
The automotive engine has become the most obvious manifestation of Rudolf Diesel’s and Nikolaus Otto’s groundbreaking inventions. While these engines power our personal mobility, few realise that automobiles are merely the most recent extension of the internal combustion engine’s vital role in making many aspects of society function smoothly. Indeed, while many would know that trucks and buses are powered by internal combustion engines, few realise how extensive the market for our engines actually is, encompassing:
- Agricultural equipment
- Forestry equipment
- Construction equipment
- Material handling equipment
- Municipal and airport equipment
Engine design is strongly dictated by the highly specific requirements of its major applications. It is impossible to explain the complexity of modern internal combustion engines in just a few words: more than a century of development, involving enormous research & development capacities worldwide, has since made this technology the undisputed driving force of our daily lives. Any new system would have to match its unrivalled power and efficiency.