EPS gives certification update on diesel engine

EPS, of New Richmond, Wisconsin, said the first conforming model of the eight-cylinder engine that can be configured to develop 320 to 420 horsepower is in use in certification tests, with four more, each rated at 385 hp, almost ready for testing and evaluation.

“The EPS diesel is an entirely original, clean-sheet design with a prodigious list of outstanding innovations designed to reduce weight as well as pilot workload; while enhancing fuel efficiency and performance; increasing reliability and TBO hours; offering an incredible range of horsepower settings; and providing a substantial reduction in on-going maintenance requirements and costs,” the company said.

EPS, founded in 2006 by CEO Michael Fuchs and fellow automotive-engine designer Steven Weinzierl, said it “anticipates production line activity by mid-year” of 2019.

In January 2018, AOPA reported that the certification timeline had slipped past earlier predictions with software validation proving more time consuming than expected, although engine components performed “flawlessly” in tests.

EPS envisions the Graflight 8 as “perfect for airplanes like the Cirrus SR22 (currently being used in our test flight program), the Beechcraft Baron or Bonanza, the Cessna Corvalis and 206, the Aerostar, and the GippsAero GA8 Airvan. But the V-8 engine is simply a starting point. The real goal is a dramatic revolution in the general aviation industry that will be led by the family of Graflight engines that EPS can and will design in the future,” according to its website.