Porsche has developed a 6-stroke engine… but what does that even mean?

Let’s take a step back. A standard 4-stroke engine refers to the number of phases a piston goes through as it moves up and down within the cylinder chamber. It’s quite simple, really—the four phases are:

Intake – The piston moves downward, drawing in a mixture of air and fuel.

Compression – The piston moves upward, compressing the air-fuel mixture.

Power – The compressed mixture ignites, forcing the piston down as the spark plug triggers combustion.

Exhaust – The piston moves upward again, expelling the combustion gases through the exhaust valve.

Porsche’s 6-stroke engine effectively alters how high the piston can travel up and down. It’s a rather complex piece of engineering, so I suggest watching Engineering Explained for a detailed breakdown of how it works.

So, what’s the benefit of a 6-stroke engine? Essentially, it offers more power and potentially greater efficiency.

As Engineering Explained points out, this six-stroke engine highlights a crucial reality—the internal combustion engine is complex and approaching the limits of its technological evolution.