Valeo, a company that supplies the auto industry with homologation equipment, has recently made a breakthrough with a turbocharger that delivers instantaneous power delivery. Turbo lag has been one of the performance drawbacks that has plagued turbocharged cars, but Valeo’s new electrically-powered turbocharger may make turbo lag a thing of the past.
As opposed to using exhaust gases to rotate a turbine, Valeo’s new system uses an independent electric motor to force additional cold air into the cylinders for combustion. Valeo claims that even when not spooled, the electric motor spins the impeller at a baseline 10,000 RPM, meaning that air flow increases as soon as the driver adds throttle input. Valeo also claims that the electrically-operated system can spin the turbine from 0 to 70,000 RPM in under one second, performance that is absolutely unprecedented.
The technology has already caught the eye of many big players in the automotive industry. Representatives from GM have started reviewing the technology, Mercedes-Benz engineers have called it “viable,” and Audi has already tested the turbocharger on a vehicle running Pikes Peak. No reports of the new turbo’s performance have been released, but Audi’s tests in Colorado should push the technology to its limits due to the thinner air. In addition, the electric turbocharger is predicted to take the place of twin-turbocharging, which uses two separate induction systems for low and high-speed boost. Valeo’s turbo would be able to cover the entire RPM range efficiently and immediately. The electric turbocharger does cost significantly more than an exhaust-powered turbocharger, as the high-performance parts in the electric motor come at a premium.
Also, the motor requires at least 48V of charge at all times, meaning that automakers would seriously need to ramp up the power capacities of their vehicles. Such changes would add complication and potentially weight to vehicles that employ the turbo. Most importantly, though, is that when used in conjunction with regenerative braking, Valeo’s new turbocharger can produce fuel savings of up to 20% over conventional turbos, making a serious argument for the implementation of this technology.
Please enjoy this TFLcar.com video review of the 2013 Audi S8.
Frank caught automotive fever early in life. Hailing from a long line of car fanatics, he was able to recite the year and model of every car that passed him by age five. His passion and love for the automobile have only grown since then. When not thinking about cars, he is reading, writing, learning, or dreaming about them. His area of expertise is in the realm of German and Italian cars, of which Porsche is a favorite. Frank currently resides in the heart of NASCAR country in Charlotte, North Carolina, with his family. He enjoys driving exotic cars in the beautiful Carolina weather.
