A new prize recognizing advances in improving energy security has been awarded to Nostrum Energy for technology that the company claims will improve vehicle efficiency by 20 percent.
The inaugural Energy Security Prize Emerging Innovation Award. comes from Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE).
Nostrum’s technology, not yet commercialized, can be applied to existing vehicles with a retrofit kit. It involves replacing the existing injectors.
“We can immediately improve fuel efficiency by 20% by replacing the existing injector and upgrading the software in the car,” said Kaushik Vyas, CEO of Nostrum Energy. About 90 percent of the cars on the road have injectors, he said.
The company plans to unveil a simple retrofit kit in 2014, and a more sophisticated kit in 2015. The kit is expected to yield a payback within one year, he said. Mechanics can install the kit for retail customers.
In addition to the injectors, the company will offer Nostrum Cycle technology, a combined cycle technology that uses combustion of fuel to heat the incoming air and convert injected water into steam to power the engine. It is expected to triple the tank-to-wheel efficiency, according to a company press release.
“Our system reduces the waste in the radiator and exhaust and pushes it to the wheels. It has been validated, and we’re producing it now,” said Vyas.
In 2016, the company hopes to have the kits installed in new vehicles as they’re being built.
The redesigned Nostrum Energy fuel injectors and Nostrum Cycle technology are expected to contribute to the Obama Administration’s policy mandate of ensuring that light duty passenger vehicles achieve 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. Using the products could save up to 638 million gallons per year by 2020, just with the improvements expected from the new injector system, the company says.
Learn more about Nostrum Energy here: Nostrum Energy
