On April 20, the 2024 World Internal Combustion Engine Congress opened in Tianjin. The conference announced the latest technological achievements of the industry - the world's first bulk thermal efficiency 53.09% diesel engine developed by Weichai Power, marking that China's internal combustion engine industry has once again reached the peak of global science and technology, leading China's high-end equipment manufacturing industry to the world class.

Wan Gang, President of the China Association for Science and Technology, Jin Donghan, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and President of Tianjin University, Tan Xuguang, Vice chairman of the Chinese Society of Internal Combustion Engines, Director of the National Key Laboratory of Internal Combustion Engines and Power Systems, Chairman of Weichai Power, and Rick Boom, president of the International Society of Internal Combustion Engines (CIMAC) jointly unveiled the 53.09% thermal efficiency diesel engine.

At the launch ceremony, He Nuobei, vice president of North Asia region of TUV SUD, An Tiecheng, chairman of China Automotive Technology Research Center Co., LTD., a professional testing organization for internal combustion engines, respectively awarded the test report and test certificate of the thermal efficiency breakthrough of 53% to Weichai Power.

More than 1,700 guests, including relevant Tianjin leaders, Chinese and foreign Internal Combustion engine societies, Tianjin University, global academicians and experts, and research institutes, witnessed this historic moment.

Since the advent of diesel engine 127 years ago, the global industry science and technology workers have always been the improvement of thermal efficiency as a lifelong pursuit of the dream, it is also a measure of the comprehensive strength of a country's internal combustion engine sign. For a long time, the continuous improvement of thermal efficiency of diesel engine has become an international problem.

Since 2015, Weichai Power has established a high thermal efficiency engine research team composed of hundreds of young doctors and thousands of engineers. Relying on the National Key Laboratory of Internal combustion Engine and power System, with the support of the national key research and development Plan, Weichai Power has linked up with the strongest brains at home and abroad and industry-university research partners to carry out technical research on efficient combustion, low resistance and low loss. Without any waste heat recovery device, the thermal efficiency of the diesel engine body is continuously improved. On September 16, 2020, Weichai Power released the world's first diesel engine with bulk thermal efficiency of 50.23%; On January 8, 2022, the thermal efficiency was again increased to 51.09%; On November 20, 2022, it was once again raised to 52.28%, breaking the limit for the third time and leading the technology upgrade of the global internal combustion engine industry.

The continuous improvement of thermal efficiency of diesel engine is an extremely complex system engineering. Based on the B701 forward research and development process, Weichai Power has carried out a full range of technological innovation from the underlying architecture of the internal combustion engine to the detailed components and then to the core system. On the basis of 52% thermal efficiency diesel engine, around combustion, air, fuel, friction and other four systems, to achieve a major breakthrough in basic research and original development, innovative development of four key core technologies - high expansion combustion technology, combustion efficiency increased 3.5%, thermal efficiency increased 0.3 percentage points; Mixed-flow supercharging technology, pressure end efficiency up to 86.7%, vortex end efficiency up to 83%, thermal efficiency increased by 0.25 percentage points; Efficient fuel injection technology, using WISE autonomous ECU, large flow, no leakage injector and low power consumption fuel pump, thermal efficiency increased by 0.2 percentage points; Low-resistance anti-friction technology, the use of low-flow crankshaft and other key components, thermal efficiency increased by 0.15 percentage points, once again the diesel engine body thermal efficiency increased by 1 percentage point, the world's first time to break the 53% mark, equivalent to the human 100-meter race into less than 9 seconds. During the research and development process, 176 invention patents and 68 utility model patents were authorized.In the past ten years, the scientific research team of Weichai Power has boldly challenged the limit, devoted itself to innovation, and struggled forward with the accumulation of each 0.1%. In four years, the four major leaps in the thermal efficiency of diesel engine have been achieved, setting a new benchmark for the thermal efficiency of global diesel engine. In his speech, Wan Gang highly affirmed the research and development achievements of Weichai Power's thermal efficiency of the diesel engine body, and witnessed the birth of another new world record together at the scene. TuV SUD North Asia CEO Van Ward congratulated Weichai Power via video. He said that looking at the global stage, this result is also far ahead, not only reflects the strength of Weichai's scientific research, but also shows Weichai's technical strength in the internal combustion engine industry. We expect that this technological achievement can contribute to China's "double carbon" goal and green development, and also contribute to the sustainable development of the global industry and energy conservation and emission reduction.

"Green, reliable, intelligent and efficient" is the common pursuit of scientific and technological innovation in the global internal combustion engine industry. With the promotion and application of this innovation, Weichai Power will lead the green and low-carbon development of the industry, profoundly affecting the strategic adjustment of China's multi-energy structure, and can be called a typical representative of the equipment manufacturing industry to foster new quality productivity through scientific and technological innovation. According to the calculation of the current number of diesel engines in China, compared with the 45% ~ 46% thermal efficiency level, the economy of 53% thermal efficiency diesel engine is improved by about 14%, which can save about 31 million tons of fuel per year and reduce carbon emissions about 97 million tons. According to the calculation of heavy tractor running 250,000 kilometers a year, it can save about 12,000 liters of diesel every year, and the current market price of diesel is 7.8 yuan per liter, which can save about 98,000 yuan for the owner in a year. In addition to the field of transportation, the technological achievements will also be applied to construction machinery, agricultural equipment, ships, power generation equipment and other fields in the future, making new contributions to China's economic and social development.

Tan Xuguang said that Weichai Power has broken the world record for diesel engine thermal efficiency four times in a row, thanks to the nearly 4,000 days and nights of the wisdom of Weichai engineers, thanks to the open cooperation with the world's top universities and research institutes, and thanks to the collaborative innovation with the global industrial chain and supply chain. This achievement belongs to Weichai and belongs to the global industry!