MAHLE received the Automotive News PACE Award for its lightweight gasoline engine piston EVOTEC® 2. The specialist jury praised the innovative design of the piston, which contributes through lightweight and friction optimization to increase the efficiency of gasoline engines and at the same time withstand the demanding thermomechanical loads reliably.
The conceptual development of the gasoline engine toward reduced CO2 emissions often leads to increasing thermomechanical stresses on the piston, which must be safely endured with minimal weight. In the past, it was common to use asymmetric piston skirts with a larger lateral surface on the thrust side in order to distribute the load over a wider area.
With its EVOTEC® piston, MAHLE has reversed this principle and combined a narrow thrust side with a broader, elastic antithrust side to the piston guide. In its second generation, this further development of the piston design leads to high structural strength and thus durability. The smaller contact area on the thrust side reduces engine friction and piston weight, resulting in lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
In the “Product” category, the prestigious Automotive News PACE Award honors particularly innovative component or systems developments in the automotive supplier industry with a lasting market impact.