How It Works

 

The Actutec Power Pod is a Linear Free-Piston Generator (LFPG), which is a real thing in the world of physics and it's a proven engineering breakthrough that's been in development for over a decade by automotive giants like Toyota. At its core, an LFPG replaces the crankshaft and rotary alternator of traditional engines with a straight-line oscillation: A piston reciprocates inside a cylinder, driving directly through stator coils to generate electricity via electromagnetic induction. This eliminates mechanical losses from rotating parts, boosting efficiency and compactness.

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Toyota's Free-Piston Engine Generator (FPEG), prototyped around 2014 features a two-stroke combustion chamber where fuel ignites to propel a dual-piston assembly (connected rigidly, no crankshaft) at high frequency—up to 50 Hz—compressing a gas spring on the rebound for controlled motion.​ Magnets on the piston zip through linear coils, harvesting kinetic energy as AC power (10–15 kW potential) with 70–80% efficiency—far better than rotary gensets.​ Direct gasoline injection and electric valves fine-tune the cycle, making it viable for hybrid range extenders. Toyota's labs clocked millions of cycles in tests, proving the physics: Linear motion scales power without the bulk of pistons and cranks.

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But here's where legacy LFPGs like Toyota's hit limits: They're combustion-tied, guzzling fuel for every spark, introducing emissions, noise (>50 dB), and refuel logistics that undermine sustainability.

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Actutec's Power Pod General Purpose (GP) Frame takes this foundation and liberates it—delivering fuel-free sustainability by swapping ignition for a sealed, preloaded gas dynamic that powers the piston's bounce indefinitely after a one-time setup.

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Minimal electromagnetic "nudges" (less than 5% of output) keep the oscillation humming at 60 Hz, harvesting clean AC through external voice-coil wraps around a neodymium-magnetized piston gliding frictionlessly on gas bearings. Stackable pods phase-sync via smart controls, scaling from 1.25 kW portables to 25 kW frames with <5% ripple and <45 dB silence.Fuel-free power? It's not vaporware—it's Boyle's Law meets Faraday's induction, validated in labs worldwide. The net result is that Boyle's Law provides the spring moving the piston, with external nudges perpetuating the motion, such that each pod produces 1.30 kW of energy, using 0.05 kW to operate with 1.25 kW excess to put to productive use. This is made possible by the frictionless (air cushon) bearings and active heat management.

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Toyota proved the linear generator is a model that works, NASA has proven that air-cushon bearings allow frictionless piston movement (20 years continusous operation), and Actutec has refined that model into a compact, modular, maintenance-free power system that works for you.

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