Katech has signed a commercial agreement with Begas Motor of Madrid to build 250 LPG engines over the next two years. As part of the contract, Katech will develop the production cell in which the engines will be assembled. The cell will initially operate solely at Katech, with a second identical cell becoming operational at the Begas facility by the end of the first year of the agreement.

Katech developed the Begas LPG engine based on the 7.2 litre supercharged General Motors LS engine. Two prototype engines were delivered earlier this year to Begas for road and laboratory evaluation, including emission compliant testing for certification as a Euro 6 Autogas engine. The engines will be used to power commercial buses, which are in demand as Spain enacts stringent air quality standards for vehicles operating in major metropolitan cities.

“Euro 6 certification of an LPG engine is a big breakthrough,” said Victor Saenz, Director of Engineering for Begas Motor. “There is a lot of news and expectations for this engine here in Spain.”

“The engine produces approximately 1,000 ft.-lbs. of torque at 3,000 rpm,” said Katech Programme Engineer Eric Suits. “We modified the engine so the torque curve is very flat, so the power is there to compete with diesel engines and yet still meet stringent emissions standards.”

Saenz envisions a long-term relationship with Katech. “There are other projects coming down the line that don’t require the torque and power that we have on the 7.2 litre engine,” he added. “I cannot give too much detail, but I can tell you it’s going to be a smaller engine and we will do this with Katech.”

Repsol has recently become the largest shareholder of Begas and has been one of the drivers for this company to achieve the contract with Katech, demonstrating its continued commitment to the development of Autogas and alternative fuel products. For more information, please visit this link.

5 June 2019