“The potential for grid-connected vehicles to decimate our demand for liquid hydrocarbon fuels should be clear. Freed from the psychological barriers which hinder widespread market acceptance of pure battery electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids with an all-electric capability of just [30] kilometres would slash liquid fuel consumption, since such a high proportion of journeys undertaken are well within this range.”

"Plugged In: The End of the Oil Age” by WWF
(Dr. G. Kendall, 2008)

Risks

REQUIREMENT	TARGET	POSSIBLE RISK	PROBABILITY OF RISK	CONTINGENCY PLAN
Thermal Efficiency	<210 g/kWh (4% absolute improvement over typical current 4-stroke automotive engine)	<210 g/kWh not achieved with acceptable emission levels	Risk considered medium	Select optimum after-treatment strategy sufficient to meet target. Suitable proven technologies are currently available
Mechanical Efficiency (friction losses)	95% (5% absolute improvement over typical current 4-stroke automotive engine)	Target not achieved	Risk considered minimal since advanced conventional engines with similar mechanical efficiency exist	Improvement in component & systems designs particularly relating to lubrication
Package Size	50% of equivalent 4-stroke automotive engine of similar power output	Engine designs currently envisaged fail to produce 25kW / 50 kW output	Risk considered small since other rotary engine concepts are producing similar outputs and margin exists to increase power output	Improve combustion process Review material selections
Package Weight	50% of equivalent 4-stroke automotive engine of similar power output	Engine designs currently envisaged fail to produce 25kW / 50 kW output	Risk considered small since other rotary engine concepts are producing similar outputs and margin exists to increase power output	Improve combustion process
Emission Levels	Better than Euro 6 (Gasoline)	Euro 6 not achieved with acceptable fuel consumption. (NB: For PHEV applications, g/km depends on characteristics of the vehicle and powertrain)	Risk considered medium	Select optimum after-treatment strategy sufficient to meet target. Suitable proven technologies are currently available
First Cost	50 kW - US$880 (estimated, including any after-treatment)	Target first cost not achieved	Not likely to be a large excess over this figure, given the significant reduction in parts over the equivalent conventional engine	Implement established manufacturing cost-reduction strategies for volume production
Operational Integrity		Chamber sealing failure	Risk considered medium	Investigate cause and apply suitable engineering solutions