How many of us have heard of such an invention as the engine of Vasily Shkondin? Probably not. Nevertheless, our compatriot Vasily Shkondin made a revolution in the field of electric motors. In this article, we will examine what the Shkondin Engine is and what makes it unique.
This story began back in the 70s of the last century, when a journalist by education, an employee of the Russian Language Institute named after A.S. Pushkin decided to create an engine that surpasses traditional electric motors. Vasily Shkondin claimed that only a few types of electric motors were produced, and they are used everywhere, from meat grinders to power plants. The inventor said that no one had yet studied the "variation of technical units." This thought was prompted by a philological dissertation. Its theme was the variation of grammatical and lexical units of the Russian language. The journalist went a long way before they talked about him, and his invention, now known as the Shkondin engine, was recognized. Over the course of ten years, he created about 70 variants of electric motors. An amateur engineer laid down the original principles of alternating and unipolar pulses created by an electromechanical trigger. For example, Shkondin’s magnetic motor basically has a disk assembly mounted on the axis of the drive wheel. It is controlled without a transmission by adjusting the speed. A rotor connected to the axis of the wheel, around the perimeter of which permanent magnets are mounted, rotates in the stator on which the solenoids are placed. Current pulses are applied to the latter, as a result an alternating magnetic field is created, which pushes the magnets.
These inventions are supported by dozens of international patents. A feature of such an invention as the Shkondin engine consists in simplicity and a small number of nodes: not 10-20, as in traditional electric motors, but only five. Also, there is no external electronic control. Due to the simplicity of such a unit, its reliability increases, and the cost becomes two times lower than that of standard electric motors. Now the Shkondin engine is installed on wheelchairs, bicycles, scooters and motorcycles.
Since the beginning of the 90s, these inventions took first prizes at the exhibitions of Brussels, Seoul, Geneva, Paris, Hanover, Orlando and others. Despite world awards, the engine did not cause commercial interest for Shkondin.
The turning point for the inventor came in 2002. A British investment company became interested in his creation. About six months later, the Shkondin motor was tested in the laboratory of the University of Oxford. British scientists came to the conclusion that all the characteristics indicated in the patents are correct, the engine exceeds the performance of traditional analogues by 50% in terms of dynamism and 30% in terms of operational efficiency. As a result, in 2003 the company Ultra Motor was founded, the founder of which is Vasily himself.
The first electric motors of Shkondin were installed exclusively on light equipment, such as bicycles. However, now more powerful motors are almost ready for production. For example, the company Ultra Motor has concluded an agreement to supply a batch of electric vehicles for city services: medical care, gendarmerie, courier. So great prospects open up before Shkondin's electric motors, and it is possible that such cars will appear in Russia soon.