# What Are Atkinson Cycle Engines, And When Did Cars Start Using Them?

> The four-cycle, or Otto cycle, engines that powers today's cars derived from designs attributed to pioneers like Nicholaus Otto, for whom the Otto cycle is named.

- **Source:** [SlashGear](https://www.slashgear.com/2130159/atkinson-cycle-engines-history-tech-explained/?utm_source=gearopen.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=feed&utm_content=69c91e97c79588a6ecd9463d)
- **Published:** 2026-03-29
- **Category:** Cars
- **Tags:** #cycle #otto #cars #engines #atkinson #designs #four #start
- **Canonical:** http://localhost:4321/a/69c91e97c79588a6ecd9463d

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_GearOpen's distilled summary. The full original article is published at SlashGear (source link above); GearOpen does not republish the source's full text._