<P> In 1884, Otto's company, then known as Gasmotorenfabrik Deutz (GFD), developed electric ignition and the carburetor . In 1890, Daimler and Maybach formed a company known as Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft . Today, that company is Daimler - Benz . </P> <P> The Atkinson - cycle engine is a type of single stroke internal combustion engine invented by James Atkinson in 1882 . The Atkinson cycle is designed to provide efficiency at the expense of power density, and is used in some modern hybrid electric applications . </P> <P> The original Atkinson - cycle piston engine allowed the intake, compression, power, and exhaust strokes of the four - stroke cycle to occur in a single turn of the crankshaft and was designed to avoid infringing certain patents covering Otto - cycle engines . </P> <P> Due to the unique crankshaft design of the Atkinson, its expansion ratio can differ from its compression ratio and, with a power stroke longer than its compression stroke, the engine can achieve greater thermal efficiency than a traditional piston engine . While Atkinson's original design is no more than a historical curiosity, many modern engines use unconventional valve timing to produce the effect of a shorter compression stroke / longer power stroke, thus realizing the fuel economy improvements the Atkinson cycle can provide . </P>

One cylinder of a four stroke engine completes a cycle every