Porsche has patented a six-stroke internal-combustion engine concept, but it has not announced a production engine, a 911 application, or a completed road-going prototype. The patented “two-times-three-stroke” method uses six piston strokes across three crankshaft revolutions. Combustion and expansion occur twice during that cycle, creating two power strokes instead of the single power stroke produced by a conventional four-stroke cylinder.
That does not mean the engine doubles horsepower or fuel economy. The patent establishes a mechanical and combustion concept—not a tested performance result.
What Porsche actually patented
Porsche and the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca filed a patent application titled “Method for a combustion machine with two times three strokes.” The German priority filing dates to February 23, 2023. In the United States, the application was published as US20240301817A1 on September 12, 2024, and patent protection was granted as US12123342B2 on October 22, 2024.
The important distinction is between an issued patent and a production engine. A patent protects a disclosed method or arrangement if it meets the legal requirements for patentability. It does not prove that the design has been built, that it survives endurance testing, or that it will be installed in a Porsche vehicle.
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Publicly available reporting has not established a confirmed production program, vehicle application, independent prototype test, horsepower figure, fuel-economy result, emissions certification, or durability result for this design. The most accurate description is therefore “Porsche’s patented six-stroke engine concept,” not “Porsche’s new production engine.”
How the six-stroke cycle works
A conventional four-stroke engine divides its cycle into intake, compression, combustion/expansion, and exhaust. The crankshaft turns twice—720 degrees—for one complete cycle, and each cylinder receives one power stroke during those two revolutions.
Porsche’s disclosed sequence takes three crankshaft revolutions, or six individual strokes. The patent describes two successive three-stroke sequences. In simplified form, the cycle is:
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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11| Stroke | Piston movement | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Induction | Second top-dead-center to first bottom-dead-center | A fuel mixture or air charge enters the cylinder. |
| 2. First compression | First bottom-dead-center to first top-dead-center | The charge is compressed. |
| 3. First combustion and expansion | First top-dead-center to second, deeper bottom-dead-center | Combustion drives the piston downward and produces the first power stroke. |
| 4. Second compression | Second bottom-dead-center back to first top-dead-center | A gas mixture containing residual and scavenged gases is compressed. |
| 5. Second combustion and expansion | First top-dead-center to first bottom-dead-center | The mixture burns again and produces a second power stroke. |
| 6. Exhaust | First bottom-dead-center to second top-dead-center | Combustion gases are expelled. |
That is why the concept is often summarized as:
Intake → compression → power → compression → power → exhaust.
The second combustion event should not be interpreted as the same fully burned charge somehow producing free energy a second time. The second event depends on the cylinder’s gas-exchange strategy: what remains after the first combustion, what fresh air or mixture enters through the scavenging process, and how the engine controls the composition and temperature of the charge. Those details would be decisive in a working engine.
Two power strokes in three crankshaft revolutions
The headline claim is easier to understand when compared with familiar engine cycles.
| Engine cycle | Crankshaft revolutions per cycle | Power strokes per cycle | Power events per revolution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conventional four-stroke | 2 | 1 | 0.5 |
| Porsche’s patented six-stroke concept | 3 | 2 | About 0.67 |
| Conventional two-stroke | 1 | 1 | 1 |
At the same engine speed, the patented cycle would theoretically schedule more combustion events per crankshaft revolution than a four-stroke engine: two events every three revolutions rather than one event every two. That is roughly one-third more power events per revolution, assuming the events have comparable effectiveness.
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The comparison with a two-stroke is also important. A conventional two-stroke produces a power stroke every revolution, but it generally faces difficult gas-exchange, lubrication, emissions, and charge-retention compromises. Porsche’s concept appears to be trying to capture some of the power-event frequency associated with two-stroke operation while retaining more deliberate compression, combustion, and exhaust stages.
Why the piston does not use ordinary crankshaft geometry
A typical piston engine uses a crankshaft and connecting rod that give the piston one fixed top-dead-center position and one fixed bottom-dead-center position for each cycle. Porsche’s patent instead describes a planetary arrangement of eccentric gears that produces a more complicated piston-motion profile.
The disclosed architecture can include:
- a planet wheel;
- eccentric connecting elements;
- an annulus, or ring gear;
- an external thread and gearwheel that can rotate the annulus; and
- optional geometry intended to vary the eccentricity of the mechanism.
Rather than treating the piston’s travel as a simple movement between one TDC and one BDC, the patent identifies two top-dead-center positions and two bottom-dead-center positions. The second bottom-dead-center position is deeper than the first. That extra travel is significant because it can expose scavenging ports in the cylinder wall.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsIn the disclosed arrangement, the piston can therefore move far enough down to open ports that help clear combustion gases and introduce fresh air before the second compression and combustion sequence. The patent also describes a preferred relationship between portions of the piston travel, with a ratio of approximately 0.7 to 0.85 for one disclosed operating configuration. That figure belongs to the patent’s described geometry; it is not a published efficiency or power ratio.
What the planetary mechanism is trying to accomplish
The unusual gear arrangement is not an ornamental alternative to a normal crankshaft. It is needed to create the piston positions and motion timing required by the six-stroke sequence.
After the first combustion stroke, the piston travels to the deeper bottom-dead-center position. At that point, the cylinder can use scavenging ports to remove or displace some of the burned gases. The piston then reverses direction and compresses the remaining and incoming gas mixture for the second combustion event.
Later in the cycle, the piston reaches the other bottom-dead-center position and completes the exhaust process toward the second top-dead-center position. The planetary and eccentric components are intended to coordinate these changing positions while the crankshaft continues to rotate.
This is the core engineering distinction between the concept and a simple six-stroke label. The proposed cycle requires a crank mechanism that can provide different effective piston limits and timing relationships. A conventional crankshaft would not naturally provide that motion.
Potential benefits—what is proposed versus what is proven
Potentially more frequent power delivery
Two combustion events in three revolutions could increase the frequency of torque-producing events compared with a conventional four-stroke cylinder. That may be useful for power density or for achieving a desired output from a smaller displacement.
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However, the extra event also requires extra compression, gas exchange, and mechanical movement. The net result cannot be determined by counting power strokes alone.
A compromise between four-stroke and two-stroke behavior
Four-stroke engines separate intake, compression, combustion, and exhaust, which gives engineers substantial control over the charge and exhaust gases. Two-stroke engines produce power more frequently but commonly rely on overlapping gas-exchange processes.
Porsche’s method appears intended to place a second compression-and-combustion event inside a longer cycle without adopting the exact operating compromises of a conventional two-stroke. That is a design objective described by the patent, not an independently verified advantage.
Possible displacement or packaging benefits
If a future version could deliver a given output with less displacement, it might offer packaging or weight advantages. But the patent does not disclose a production displacement, a target vehicle, a specific engine size, or any measured power-to-weight improvement.
The biggest engineering challenges
Scavenging and combustion control
The second power stroke depends on managing the cylinder contents after the first combustion event. The deeper bottom-dead-center position and ports are intended to assist scavenging, but scavenging quality would determine how much exhaust gas remains and how much fresh charge enters.
Too much residual exhaust gas can dilute the next charge and make combustion less stable. On the other hand, fresh oxygen mixed with hot residual gases can complicate combustion-temperature management and nitrogen-oxide control. The engine would need precise control of port timing, fuel delivery, ignition or injection timing, and the composition of the second charge.
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Friction and mechanical losses
A planetary crankshaft with eccentric elements, an annulus, gear teeth, and potentially variable eccentricity has more moving interfaces than the crankshaft and connecting-rod arrangement in a conventional piston engine. More components can mean more friction, more lubrication demands, more manufacturing tolerances, and more opportunities for wear.
The concept could still be worthwhile if the additional power-producing event outweighed those losses. The patent, however, does not provide the friction measurements, efficiency map, lubrication system, or endurance results needed to judge that trade-off.
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Vibration, balance, and noise
Changing the piston’s motion and adding eccentric rotating masses can affect balance and noise, vibration, and harshness. The engine would need a carefully engineered firing order, counterbalancing strategy, mounting system, and control approach.
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The patent says the number of cylinders is preferably a multiple of three. That may help with firing-event spacing and balancing in some layouts, but it does not establish that the concept is inherently smooth or that a particular cylinder count has been selected.
Heat and durability
Two combustion events occur within a cycle that is longer than a conventional four-stroke cycle, but the first power stroke is followed relatively quickly by another compression and combustion event. Valves or ports, piston rings, cylinder walls, bearings, gears, and the cooling system would all face a demanding combination of heat, pressure, and repeated movement.
Durability would be especially important around the eccentric gear arrangement and any mechanism used to vary the effective piston motion. No public Porsche durability program or service-life target has been disclosed.
Emissions and after-treatment
The design’s emissions outcome cannot be inferred from the number of strokes. It would depend on combustion quality, residual-gas levels, oil control, exhaust temperature, catalyst behavior, and the engine’s operating strategy.
Scavenging may improve the cylinder charge, but it can also create difficult trade-offs involving unburned hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, particulate emissions, and catalyst light-off. The patent does not prove a specific emissions improvement or show that the concept meets any road-vehicle certification standard.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Could it be used in a Porsche 911?
There is no confirmed 911 application. The patent allows for multiple cylinder arrangements, including inline, V, W, and horizontally opposed configurations, and says the cylinder count is preferably a multiple of three.
That language is broad patent coverage, not a product announcement. It does not mean Porsche has selected a flat-six, designed the engine for the 911, or planned to replace the current powertrain of any specific model.
A 911 installation would also require the design to satisfy packaging, cooling, emissions, noise, serviceability, transmission, and durability requirements. None of those production decisions are established by the patent grant.
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Does “six-stroke” mean Porsche invented a new engine category?
No. Six-stroke engines and related dual-compression or dual-expansion concepts have been proposed and patented by other inventors over many decades. The six-stroke idea itself is not new.
Porsche’s potentially distinctive contribution is the particular two-times-three-stroke method and the planetary, eccentric piston-motion architecture used to support it. Calling the concept “revolutionary” is reasonable as editorial language describing its complexity or ambition, but it should not be presented as a claim that Porsche invented six-stroke engines.
Technical background for readers who want more
Understanding this patent requires a working knowledge of crank angles, dead-center positions, compression, expansion, scavenging, residual gases, and pumping losses. Readers who want a broader foundation can consult Internal Combustion Engine Fundamentals, 2nd Edition, a general technical reference covering the principles behind four-stroke and two-stroke engines, combustion, and efficiency. It is background reading rather than a Porsche-specific manual or evidence that this patented design works in production.
What would have to happen before this becomes a real engine?
- Prototype construction: Porsche or a partner would need to turn the patent drawings and method into a functioning engine.
- Gas-exchange validation: Engineers would need to measure scavenging effectiveness, residual-gas fraction, charge motion, and the stability of the second combustion event.
- Performance testing: A dynamometer program would need to establish torque, horsepower, fuel consumption, friction, thermal behavior, and operating limits.
- Durability testing: The gears, eccentric elements, piston assembly, rings, bearings, ports, and lubrication system would need extended testing.
- Emissions development: The engine would need to work with an exhaust-after-treatment system and meet the applicable emissions regulations for its intended market.
- Vehicle integration: Only after those stages could Porsche assess packaging, transmission compatibility, cooling, noise, service, cost, and a possible vehicle application.
None of those milestones should be assumed merely because the U.S. patent was granted.
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Why the patent matters anyway
The patent is meaningful because it shows that Porsche has investigated a way to alter the traditional relationship between piston strokes and crankshaft rotation. It also demonstrates that the company has considered a detailed mechanical solution rather than merely sketching an extra combustion event on a conventional four-stroke engine.
At the same time, the patent illustrates why engine patents should be read as technical proposals. The document describes possible mechanisms, operating sequences, and intended advantages. It does not replace dyno data, emissions certification, or a production announcement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has Porsche built the patented six-stroke engine?
There is no publicly confirmed production engine, vehicle application, or independent prototype test data for the design. The evidence establishes an issued patent, not a completed road-going engine.
Will Porsche use the six-stroke engine in the 911?
There is no confirmed 911 application. The patent covers several possible layouts, including horizontally opposed engines, but that broad language does not identify a production model.
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No. It has two proposed power strokes in three crankshaft revolutions, compared with one power stroke in two revolutions for a conventional four-stroke cylinder. Power depends on many other factors, and the patent provides no measured horsepower result.
How is Porsche’s concept different from a conventional two-stroke engine?
A conventional two-stroke generally produces one power stroke per crankshaft revolution and combines gas-exchange operations. Porsche’s disclosed method uses six strokes over three revolutions, with separate compression and combustion stages for two power events and a dedicated exhaust stroke.
The Bottom Line
Bottom line: Porsche has secured patent protection for an ambitious two-times-three-stroke engine method that uses unusual planetary gearing, two piston TDC positions, two BDC positions, scavenging ports, and two combustion-and-expansion strokes. It may offer a path to higher power-event frequency, but there is no public evidence yet of production intent, tested performance, emissions compliance, or a Porsche vehicle application.
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