Electrojet’s product reduces emissions and improves engine power and performance.

Premier Business Partners:

Emory Anderson Michigan Economic Development, C/O DP & Co.

These days, fuel efficiency is a hot topic and selling point for consumer automobiles. Cars and trucks must now meet emission standards to limit pollution and consumers are increasingly concerned about the environment and the rising cost of fuel.

But these issues have gone long unnoticed in the small engine market, particularly in the United States, and Michigan-based ElectroJet Inc. says it is poised to revolutionize the industry with a reduced sensor set electronic fuel injection (EFI) system.

Motorcycles, tractors and lawn mowers have small engines, but they are big polluters – 50 to 100 times more so than cars – President Kyle Schwulst says. “If you use a lawn mower for an hour, you emit the same mass of emissions as driving a car across the country,” he says.

“Cars have gotten cleaner and cleaner and we’ve only realized recently that small engines are terribly polluting. Who thinks their lawn mower is ruining the environment? In fact, it’s the largest source of mobile pollution in the U.S.”

Until recently, little technology has been put into these engines to clean them up, he says. Instead, low-cost production has been, and continues to be, the primary concern.

“It’s hard to force new technology into the market,” he says. The average American holds on to a lawn mower for 10 years, and flips their car every three. People don’t realize how polluting these small-engine products are.”

But the EPA has begun to take notice of small-engine pollution. “That’s where our product comes in,” Schwulst explains.

“It’s the only product that is bolt-compatible to existing engines. Any other EFI product requires the engines to be redesigned, which really increases cost and makes it hard to transition. We’re filling a niche for a low-cost product that significantly reduces emissions.”

Simple Savings
Schwulst founded ElectroJet in 2003 following the first patent filed for a reduced sensor set EFI system.   

“It’s literally the same thing you have in a car, scaled down to non-automotive applications,” he says. “Our technology reduces the number of sensors required to efficiently run an engine in a smarter, more economical fashion.”

Because of its simplicity, he says, ElectroJet’s product offers a cost savings of 50 to 75 percent over competing solutions in the market.

Salable Benefits
ElectroJet’s product reduces emissions significantly, Schwulst says, while improving engine power and performance, as well as fuel efficiency. “There are lots of salable benefits to the customer,” he says.    

Now that the EPA is analyzing small engine emissions and OEMs are taking note, he says the company is again gaining traction in the North American market.

Currently, the U.S. military is its only customer with a product in production. Everything else is still in development. In addition to improved efficiency and lower cost, electronic controls drastically improve usability, Schwulst says.

“Most small engine products still have a choke, which requires a complicated procedure to start,” Schwulst explains. “Kids today learn from automobiles, and all cars are fuel injected.

“Turn the key and they always start. There is no choke and no complicated process to start the engine. Most people today don’t know how to start small engines, and it’s a large source of pain. Products are returned because the customer thinks it won’t start, or it floods, but they never read the manual. Electronic controls allow all small engines to start as easily as a car – you just push a button.”

Schwulst says he expects exponential growth in the new few years. “We would really like to produce this product in North America,” he notes.