Release Date: November 16, 2001

Turbine Technology Demos Now Underway

PNGinc Carries the Torch of Innovation

Munising, MI -- PNGinc opened its doors this month to engine & genset OEMs, presenting a view into the future of automotive turbines & pollution-free electrical power. Technology on display in their normally clandestine labs included a working 20-horsepower bladeless turbine, based on a design first built by inventor Nikola Tesla in the 1920s.

Demonstrating the basic scientific principles of Tesla’s high-efficiency turbine, CEO Ken Rieli described the enormous market potential for clean-burning turbines in the global vehicle fleet – and as quiet engines driving generator sets in homes.

The idea of using turbines in cars is not new. Decades have elapsed since automakers first introduced turbine-powered prototypes. Test models, which reportedly sounded like jet engines, were often spotted on Motor City streets during the 1970s. However, as engineers feverishly tried to work out technical bugs, the market decided it just wasn’t ready for such drastic changes. And so the torch of powerplant innovation was passed on to a new generation of inventors.

PNGinc focuses on advanced combustion techniques & other technologies for low-cost, zero-emissions engines. Rieli projects the development of automotive turbines will take another few years, as OEMs finally see the market moving away from the century-old piston engine. Meanwhile, his R&D company is spearheading the design effort with far-reaching motive power solutions.