Manufacturers are constantly trying to find new technologies and innovations to better their cars, and Audi may have stumbled upon a concept that may well redefine how engines perform in future.
In its recently presented RS5 TDI concept car, Audi revealed a diesel engine equipped with an electrically driven turbocharger. The engine features a twin-turbocharger setup, with the smaller of the two turbochargers making use of an electric motor to spool up its compressor at lower revs. This electric motor can deliver up to 70 000 r/min in a few hundredths of a second, and can keep spinning when the driver is off the throttle. The result is an elimination of turbo lag and a more responsive engine. Audi calls its new technology e-boost.
The 3,0-litre V6 TDI engine that made use of the e-boost technology produced an impressive 290 kW and a jaw dropping 750 N.m of torque generated from as low as 1 250 r/min. In the RS 5 TDI concept, the engine powered the car to a 0 – 100 km/h time of 4 seconds and onto a top speed of 280 km/h. Compared to the standard RS 5 with its petrol V8 engine, these figures do not shy away. However, with the e-boost engine there is the added benefit of a significant drop in fuel economy while still maintaining performance. Claimed fuel consumption for the European cycle is 6,4 litres/100 km.
One would expect that an engine capable of delivering such performance might debut in the next generation RS5 or perhaps even the R8, but according to Audi’s head of development of diesel engines, Ulrich Weiss, the engine will appear very soon, but not in a sports car. Asked whether it might debut on the next-generation Q7 SUV at the 2014 Paris Auto Show in October, Weiss only smiled, but gave nothing away.
“I can confirm we are working on the development of the e-boost definitely,” he said. “Be sure that Audi will bring it to the market.”
According to Weiss, Audi had not yet made the decision to install the e-boost engine in a performance car, explaining that Audi merely demonstrated the technology on the RS5 to highlight its performance potential and to test the interest in a diesel sports car.
– Charlen Raymond
