About the Venture

 

Project Description

This web-page is about a business venture about Rotary Engine vehicles in the start-up phase. The goal is to form an international, interdisciplinary institute for research, development, application and teaching on Wankel rotary engines vehicles that run on alternative fuel to push zero-emission vehicles.

Rotary Engines (RE) are smaller and offer higher power output; compared to normal piston engines. In hybrid cars less space is available, so that the engine’s size, weight and overall package are crucial and RE become more appealing. Beside cars also trucks, motorbikes, airplanes, boats and even light mobile stationary converters to create electricity are of interest.

Rotary Engine vehicles currently offer a huge a potential for improvements. With their advantages in mind, it is reasonable to expand research, development and teaching activities worldwide. The European cooperative society (SCE) REngineers will connect experts, firms and organizations from different fields to improve zero-emission technology and develop expertise for vehicles that use rotary engines. We promote global interdisciplinary cooperation, knowledge-transfer and solution-oriented discussion about technical challenges that are of social interest.

• Project Description
• Co-operative Society
• About The Author
• Renaissance Engineering
• Current Projects
• Why English?

REngineers stands for Rotary Engine Engineers and Renaissance Engineers. RE can also be interpreted as Renewable Energy since rotary engines fueled with hydrogen, synthetic fuels or ethanol are early development projects. The project had been titled RSC AG in the past standing for Rotary Selective Combustion Associate Group. Products developed by the company are modifications and or new developments on Rotary Engines (RE) and application of all sorts of vehicles, airplanes, boats or generators to fit the new technology.

Cooperation within a global interdisciplinary community is needed to solve technical challenges to fulfill environmental needs and social demands. REngineers connects firms and persons for the purpose of development, research, consulting, production, training and other services about rotary engine vehicles and zero-emission technologies. We offer a global network of scientists, engineers, mechanics and facilities. We have experience with RE or specific technologies that help to improve RE vehicles. Since REngineers is a neutral organization we are confident to acquire research projects from car manufacturers and funding from public organizations.

REngineers is a full-service provider helping to get ideas into the market, covering all from research over development, system engineering and design, product applications, methodology and process reengineering for the new products, Teaching and consulting are included and vital part of the company’s mission. We will deliver a solid network of interdisciplinary engineers, entrepreneurs, event and project managers and designers. With the help of many partners and collaborations REngineers are able to successfully bring theoretical research concepts from scratch over design studies, simulation, prototypes, testing, application and finally marketing into the marked.

 If you believe parts of my subjective estimations are true than you will find there is only one remaining hurdle to bring zero-emission vehicles to the mass market in a very short period of time. We need international, interdisciplinary cooperation among industry leaders, small companies, politics, costumers, clubs and nonprofit organizations and the education system. We face a huge challenge to train professionals to new technology and educate future engineers at universities. For this goal we need a solid structure and network of enthusiasts and experts that share their expertise and know-how among members of their organization to work on common goals.

 

Cooperative Society

REngineers will be registered as a cooperative company and as a foundation to promote research, development, and education on zero-emission vehicles. The venture not only focuses on clean engines, it targets the global vehicle development and the transportation system. Our goal is that after we register the company in Europe, formal collaborations with US and Japan-based companies and institutions will be developed.

The best structure for our international organization is a European Cooperative Society (SCE, for Latin Societas Cooperativa Europaea). The corporative company will be registered in Munich with additional offices in Austria and other parts of Europe. The SCE will connect experts from all over the world, helping to solve global challenges in green automotive technology. Our strategy is to unite many talented individuals and companies including engineers, scientists and mechanics, who will take a cooperative approach. The SCE will be comprised of five founding members, private persons, and companies who will invest significant amounts of money. Many members of the organization will work part-time on their specific areas of expertise on a per contract basis.

The SCE network benefits from cooperation among professionals of many disciplines who are united for project acquisition. We connect our strengths with low costs for administration and share knowledge and infrastructure as partners among members of the cooperative society. Beside economical and strategic benefits, the group profits from a strong global corporative network where there is an exchange of ideas and expertise. Forming an SCE is a viable approach to building a solid foundation:

• The company is organized internationally within a structure that allows transfer of knowledge, services and products within the entire European area. This avoids the uncertainty of currency exchange rates and legal prospective. It allows for establishing spin-offs all over Europe quickly and efficiently.
• The cooperative approach promises partnership among equal members and eliminates the risk that long-term company aims are outweighed by venture capitalists’ interests in the early growth-phase.
• The SCE is intended to be a neutral organization where competing companies, government organizations, and private organizations can cooperate for research and development of new technologies to solve social demands and environmental needs. We will work together on specific tasks and then share our knowledge and technology innovations among investors and members, instead of staying in silos and competing with patent restrictions.
• Cooperative societies are have les risk of bankruptcy since control organizations check and ensure liquidity. The company structure is set up for long-term profitable growth, in contrast to short-term aims for high profits of capital-based companies.

I want to close my venture description with a big THANK YOU for reading these lines! I hope you’ve enjoyed the articles or gained some knowledge. In the best case it has made you think about alternatives, hidden potential and about co-operation. There are many ways to contribute to this venture. I look forward to your honest comments.

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About the Author

 

Christian (Chris) Scheiblegger was born in Kufstein and is Austrian and German. He grew up in Pullach and now lives in Munich where automotive industry highly contributes to economy with, BMW, MAN and many suppliers and engineering companies nearby.

After A-levels in Business Administration (Fachoberschule für Wirtschaft) I decided to follow my passion about cars and motorbikes and studied Automotive Engineering at Munich University of Applied Sciences. Regular race track activities show my passion about vehicle dynamics, more specifically. During studies, I’ve gained valuable experience from placements, student jobs and final year projects at the BMW group.

After graduation, I’ve worked as research officer at the Competence Center for vehicle dynamics in Munich for more than five years. That gave me the opportunity to take responsibility within many international research collaborations among Munich University of Applied Sciences, Audi, Porsche, Magna Styr, ContiTech Vibration Control, the Virtual Vehicle Competence Center and many other companies. The job offered the possibility to present my research at many companies and participate at scientific events – and to spend much time in England as external-part time PhD student at the wonderful University of Bath.

Engineering I’ve learned in Munich but things for life I’ve learned in Bath. There, I’ve improved my communication skills. I’ve learned to begin with the end in mind. About time management I’ve learned that time cannot be managed – you can merely priories your activities. When I grew too old for team handball, I found that playing darts is a good exercise to calm the mind and focus all attention on one point (to reach a goal). The target remains steady – the goal does not change. The only thing you can alter is your approach to reach the goal. When you do that it’s like Kyūdō the Japanese art of archery which could be described as meditation in action – finally the archer himself has to change to hit his target. My awareness of social and global issues arose in Bath. Part-time studies beside the full-time job have challenged me from times to times and I am grateful for such opportunities to grow, in retrospective.

I’ve bought my first rotary engine car in 2010, without any knowledge or passion about rotary engines. I’ve had driven and owned many more powerful cars before, but none of them was able to deliver similar performance or driving pleasure. I found that power is nothing without control and smoothness of power delivery is valuable. A low centre of gravity and wide rev range are beneficial for lap times. I realized that primarily the small and strong Rotary Engine enabled such a good package and low weight in the 1991 Mazda RX7 turbo coupe.

Various Mazda RX8 followed and made me aware of the current drawbacks and difficulties for RE in modern vehicles. I begun to be active in rotary engine forums and participate at gatherings. I realized that few professional car mechanics or engine engineers have technical understanding for rotary engines and fewer have ever driven one. I’ve learned to distinguish rumors from facts and realized there are common challenges for all technical niche products.

Research is expensive and therefore common solutions are preferably used due to economic pressure. Technical benefits tend to have lower priority than marketing and platform strategy for serial production. However some niche-applications offer a huge potential for quantum leaps in technical development, when historical drawbacks are compensated by newer technology. E.g. RE would benefit from alternative fuels, downsizing with forced induction, improved ignition systems and direct injection, but none of these technologies are used in the latest RE cars.

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My whole life changed after a motorcycle accident in 2012. A rubber band hit my eye when I was mounting the packs of my Harley Davidson motorbike. I’ve had recently bought this bike, intentionally to reduce the risks of driving a sport bike on public streets. Now, I had to experience a strong emotional impact – not even driving. The threat of losing my eye-sight challenged my faith and confidence for the human healing forces. I started to meditate regularly and finally managed not only to recover but also to improve clearance of vision on both eyes! That was completely contrarily to the doctor’s estimates. Moreover, I’ve learned how to draw in a surprisingly short period of time. Betty Edwards says if you want to learn how to draw you firstly have to learn to see like an artist. I did and I found that’s a very valuable skill for every engineer. I wonder why no one has ever thought me such things during all my formal education.

The picture shows one of my first exercises from Betty Edward’s ‘drawing on the right side of the brain’ and a document from the doctor that attest my eye(s) have fully recovered. You can see principal errors due to the change of perception for this specific drawing technique, without any corrections. But the overall quality is far better than anything I had ever done before the accident.

Such a change of perception is also very beneficial for engineering tasks. Sometimes we need to step back to see the full picture instead of struggling with the details directly in front of our nose.

Long story short, the incident has triggered me to think about priorities. I’ve reflected a lot onto myself and revealed a magnificent artist’s side of my personality that had been suppressed for far too long. My work-life balance had become completely out of balance, those days. Then, I’ve changed my priorities and profession. I became self-employed as a consultant in 2014, with Chrysler (US) being my first customer. Now, I travel to the USA on a regular basis and found that California is a great place to be and work on automotive challenges. Such international collaboration is very fruitful and helps to get a global perception of technical, social and environmental challenges.

I like a funny 80’s song from an Austrian pop-band that says: ’I am a tasty mix of Albert Einstein and Arnold Schwarzenegger: I’ve got Arnold’s brain and Albert’s body.’ (EAV‚ An der Copacabana, “Ich bin eine Mischung, die ist ziemlich lecker, aus Albert Einstein und Arnold Schwarzenegger! So weit so gut doch das Dumme ist nur, ich hab Schwarzenegger‘s Hirn und von Einstein die Figur.“).

That was a good joke when Dr Arnold Schwarzenegger was mainly known for ‘Pumping Iron’ and ‘Conan the Barbarian’ and it puts a smile on my face and motivates me now. I admire the ex-governor of California as a personal idol for his ability to change; and his great speeches about responsibility at the Munich Security Conference 2015 and his six rules for success speech at the University of California. I believe everyone should have an idol. By the way, I am currently writing these lines 100m away from where Albert Einstein grew up and had spent his youth.

 

Renaissance Engineering

I am writing these lines in preparation for a talk at Harvard to give and impression about my interpretation of Renaissance Engineering. Renaissance was a period of extraordinary flowering of humanism, arts and also engineering accomplishments. Leonardo da Vinci may come to your mind. Leonardo was not a lonely genius alone in the nowhere. Here was surrounded by like-minded people in the cultural centre of his days. Being an artist-engineer was not unusual at that time. The greatest visionary engineers, inventors, creators and entrepreneurs during the renaissance have actually been artists or had a formal artist education. At REngineers we believe that interdisciplinary education is very valuable in nowadays challenging and fast-changing environment. You’ll find business, engineering, science, arts, philosophy and passion united in between the lines of the given vita above.

We believe one should develop both sides of the brain equally well to be able to create a good product and deliver outstanding service. Unfortunately that is not reflected in Germany’s current education and university system (for engineers). To create new solutions, we have to tear down traditional borders and barriers form department specific thinking on our own. Engine. Chassis. Car Body. Design. Mechanics. Electric. Testing. Simulation. Research. Development. Production. Economics. Environment. Process. Law, regulations and patents. Society. Marketing. Teaching. Education. All these random departmental distinctions limit the daily engineering work, although everything is cross-linked and reciprocal interference is essential.

To create new solutions one has to be able to access knowledge from all worlds where creativity, application of niche alternatives and thinking outside the box is more important than the traditional work on the details within restricting areas of responsibility. Communication and interdisciplinary international team-work and cooperative thinking are crucial for technical progress. Renaissance Engineering means to connect many fields of science, engineering, craftsman, arts and business for the purpose of creation.

If we want to see the full picture we sometimes have to step back or have a look from a different angle. Rotary Engines are a very specific niche product that tended to be underestimated. We believe it is necessary to keep in mind such technical alternatives; variations and diversity are socially valuable and needed as stepping stone towards bigger quantum leaps and steady progress.

 

Current Projects

Teaching

I occasionally hold lectures at Munich University of Applied Sciences about Rotary Engine technology, hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles with range extenders.

At Munich University of Applied Sciences, a Porsche Boxter has been converted into an Electric Vehicle. Because weight and space for batteries are limited in such cars a range extender is needed to extend the electric driving range. When batteries are getting empty fuel is burnt to charge the batteries or directly power electric motors.

An internal evaluation of different engine concepts for range extenders revealed the great potential of rotary engines for such applications. Therefore, students are now are about to fit a Rotary Engine as range extender; for demo and teaching purpose. Students work very enthusiastically on such hands-on projects with visible output.

Connect Experts and Firms

A Diesel Wankel Rotary Engine and a RE range extender have been tested at the engine lab of Munich University of Applied Sciences within the last two years. RE technology is now thought and discussed more often, in lectures, student projects and among professionals. There is no official competence centre for Rotary Engine technology in Munich, yet; but knowledge and ideas about rotary engine vehicles are now discussed worldwide among engineers, students, industry customers and supporters of alternative technology.

We currently connect our strengths from different departments, companies and institutions as an informal associate group. We were already able to continuously gain further expertise and grow our network. Many engineers, freelancers, RE enthusiasts, firms and engine experts met in collaboration for a common goal for research and education on RE vehicles and hybrid vehicles that use renewable energy. Since we all have other jobs and currently small budgets, the progress may seem a bit slow from the outside but we’re confident to be able to contribute and communicate more, once a co-operative company is formally founded.

I travel a lot these days to meet engine experts, mechanics, automotive engineers, entrepreneurs, business development experts, potential investors and visionary people all over the world. Please see news for latest activities.

Product development

Downsizing

RE with rotor shut-off and selective combustion

Improved application for German market

RE with alternative Fuels

Evaluation of Electric Vehicles and Hybrid Vehicles

 

Why English?

The goal is to form a global institute on zero-emission vehicles. Part of this institution is REngineers as a global institute for Rotary Engine Vehicles that used Renewable Energy and teaching of Renaissance Engineering. Our formal headquarter is located in Munich but there are several offices and many informal cooperation partners all over Europe. I am Austrian and German. Other members are from Austria, England, Spain, Italy, France, Japan, China, USA and Canada. Our mission can only be fulfilled in a global corporative approach. Therefore, English was chosen to be the primary company language from the start of the venture. Please bear with me that I cannot translate all articles in German or other languages, because I currently do all communication on my own.

News