Volvo Cars reveals 330 kW High Performance Drive-E Powertrain Concept

450 Horsepower Drive E

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• Triple Boost Technology takes Volvo’s 4-cylinder Drive-E Powertrain petrol engine to 330 kW (450 BHP)

Following the successful introduction of Volvo’s Drive-E Powertrain range in 2013, Volvo’s powertrain team once again demonstrates its technological leadership in emissions-reducing turbo technology.

“When we launched the Drive-E powertrain family, our aim was to deliver the most advanced 4-cylinder engines in the industry based on emissions and fuel consumption relative to performance and drivability. We knew that the 242 kW in our petrol configuration was just a starting point. The 330 kW High Performance Drive-E Powertrain Concept, demonstrates this ambition and the versatility of the Drive-E Powertrains,” says Dr. Peter Mertens, Senior Vice President for Research and Development at Volvo Car Group.

The 330 kW High Performance Drive-E Powertrain Concept is based on a set of technologies not usually found in a 4 cylinder engine. The engine utilizes 2 parallel turbochargers, which are fed by an electrically powered turbo-compressor. The compressed air from this unit, rather than being fed to the cylinders, is instead used to spool up the 2 parallel turbochargers. Fuel is fed by a dual fuel pump working at 250 bar pressure. With this kind of power density, this triple boost installation and unique fuel system, enables a very dynamic drivability without any turbo lag, compared to a mono-turbo.

“There are several high power small size applications where one large turbo is used to create a high level of power available from other manufacturers, but the driving experience suffers due to slow engine response. We felt that with our heritage of being among the first car companies to embrace and offer a broad range of turbo technology since 1981, that we could improve this,” says Michael Fleiss, Vice President of Powertrain Engineering at Volvo Car Group.

The High Performance Drive-E Powertrain Concept attracted the attention and involvement of Volvo Cars suppliers AVL, Denso and Volvo Polestar Racing at an early stage, which allowed theories and technologies from racing applications to be infused in the development process.

“This was a very exciting project as we pioneered a combination of technologies in the same application, and the result is a quite unique engine with its high power yet quick response. Above all, its compact size improves weight distribution between the front and rear axle and lowers the centre of gravity – 2 factors that have a significant effect on the handling, whether it is a race car or a street car,” said Mattias Evensson, Race Engine Director at Volvo Polestar Racing.

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“It may sound odd, but this 330 kW powertrain concept is an important part of the Drive-E development program. Down-sizing must offer customers attractive and usable power for broad scale emissions reduction to work. By developing compact powertrains we free up space and weight in the structure of the car, which can be used for electrification and even further emissions reduction. And that is our ultimate ambition,” concludes Dr. Mertens.

In South Africa, Volvo’s new Drive-E engines have been introduced across the range.

More about Volvo Cars’ DRIVE-E powertrains

Volvo Cars’ Drive-E range of powertrains takes efficient driving pleasure to a new dimension in which output and efficiency – rather than the number of cylinders – determine the quality of performance.

Why the big fuss?

With Drive-E, Volvo’s outgoing 8 engine architectures are gradually being replaced by only 2: a 4-cylinder Drive-E petrol engine and a 4-cylinder Drive-E diesel. These 2 engines can be configured to meet the power / output needs of the entire Volvo range.

Volvo Cars’ powertrain experts have developed the engines in-house. They are being built at Volvo Car Group’s high-tech engine plant in Skövde, Sweden.

Drive-E stats and facts:

• Replaces 8 existing engine architectures in 3 platforms.


• These engines are fully developed, tested and produced by Volvo.


• Developed by Volvo in Gothenburg and manufactured in Skövde.


• One architecture prepared for 2 fuels (Petrol and Diesel) in 8 power derivatives


• New 8-speed Auto gearbox produced alongside the new engines


• Complies with all 2013-2017 emission legislations Worldwide


• Reduces fuel consumption by 15 – 35%


• Delivers powertrain weight savings of 30-50 kg

Prepared for electrification

The Drive-E engines are prepared for future electrification from the start. Key components, such as the Integrated Starter Generator, can be connected easily – and the compact size of the 4-cylinder engines means that the electric motor can be fitted in the front or rear of the vehicle. The battery pack will be located in the centre of the car.

Downsizing without compromises

Volvo Car Group is highly confident that the focus on 4-cylinder Drive-E powertrains is the right way to create the desirable blend of power, drivability and fuel efficiency.

*Descriptions and facts in this press material relate to Volvo Car Group’;s international car range. Described features might be optional. Vehicle specifications may vary from one country to another and may be altered without prior notification

 

 

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Volvo Cars reveals 330 kW High Performance Drive-E Powertrain Concept

Volvo V40 Cross Country AWD receives powertrain upgrade

• All-Wheel Drive (AWD) rugged all-road capability


• Reduced emissions and improved fuel economy


• Powertrain upgrade completes a series of enhancements

The Volvo V40 Cross Country will soon be available with Volvo’;s superb new 180 kW T5 Drive-E engine ­­- with the added capability of AWD.

“Volvo Cars is continuing to evolve the V40 Cross Country with this powertrain upgrade. The combination of the Drive-E T5 engine with AWD will give adventurous customers the power to explore, and all the control they need to be confident in all road conditions,” says Dr. Peter Mertens, Senior Vice President Research & Development at Volvo Cars.

With 180 kW and 350 Nm of torque, the Volvo V40 Cross Country delivers excellent power and capability. In addition to the new engine’;s refinement and fuel-efficient driveability, Volvo’;s new 8-speed automatic gearbox with paddle shift makes the Volvo V40 Cross Country T5 AWD Drive-E one of the most luxurious, stylish and capable cross countries on the market.

Impressive C02 reductions

Since the introduction last year, Volvo Cars’; ground-breaking 4-cylinder Drive-E engines have been widely praised for their unique ability to combine power and efficiency with an extremely small footprint.

The new Drive-E powertrain reduces the Volvo V40 Cross Country T5 AWD’;s emissions to an impressive 149 g/km ­- a level unmatched by the Audi Q3 TFSI Quattro (179 g/km), the BMW X1 xDrive20i xLine auto (170 g/km) or the Mercedez-Benz B-class (SUV) 220 Sport 4MATIC DCT (156 g/km).

Refinement

This powertrain upgrade continues the series of enhancements that have been made to the Volvo V40 Cross Country this year. Other refinements / additions include new 19″ Damara alloy wheel with grey diamond-cut rims, delivering not only extra comfort and off-road capability, but also less noise and added rim protection; a new exterior colour, Power Blue, as well as the updated on-board infotainment and navigation system, Sensus Connect, providing customers with a fully connected car.

South Africa

The Volvo V40 Cross Country T5 AWD Drive-E is expected to arrive in SA early next year. Full specification and pricing details will be confirmed closer to the time.

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Technical Data

Engine:            In-line 4-cylinder, 16V, DOHC, HP Turbocharger, AWD

Gearbox:          8-speed Geartronic AWD

Power:             180 kW

Torque:            350Nm

0-100 km/h:     6.1

Top speed:        limited to 210 km/h

Volvo V40 Cross Country AWD receives powertrain upgrade

So Funky, So French: Wild Citroën C4 Cactus Airflow 2L Uses Compressed-Air (!) Hybrid Powertrain to Accomplish 118 mpg

How does 1 polish a cactus? Eliminate the needles, of course. That’s what Citroën has done with its funky-French C4 Cactus crossover to create the Airflow 2L notion, which tends to make its aerodynamic, in-the-succulent debut at the 2014 Paris auto show next week.

Citroën shaved this Cactus for one particular cause: Fuel economy. In an automotive sense, a car’s “needles” are its a variety of drag-inducing physique pieces. Thus, Citroën streamlined the Cactus’s aerodynamics with spats around the wheel arches, a entirely sealed underbody, a rear bumper diffuser, and dynamic wind deflectors behind the rear quarter windows. Other active aerodynamic components contain 3 variable intake slats in the front bumper and shutters on the wheels that shut in accordance with rotational forces (the shutters close far more the faster the wheels turn). As is notion-automobile vogue these days, the Airflow does with out standard door mirrors, cutting drag and leaving drivers to rely solely on video feeds from every side.

All of this aero operate, combined with the Airflow’s skinny BMW i3–style “tall and narrow” 19-inch wheels, improves the C4′s aerodynamics by a claimed 20 percent. Helpfully, Citroën painted all of the Airflow 2L concept’s aero addenda a vibrant orange color to make them less difficult to pick out against the car’s white physique. Further assisting fuel economy is the C4 Cactus Airflow’s 220-pound diet relative to the standard Cactus it weighs a claimed 1907 pounds. Credit goes to the concept’s composite floor panels, suspension springs, doors, roof, liftgate, rear seats, side panels, doors, and fenders. Higher-strength steel was used in the door sills and front passenger kick panels, and aluminum replaces the typical Cactus’s far more conventional alchemy in crucial structural regions. Citroën’s obsessive quest for weight shaving incorporated thinning the tubing employed in the exhaust and replacing the panoramic roof glass with thin polycarbonate. Ultimately, the Airbumps—Airbumps!—on the side have been rendered in lightweight carbon fiber.

With much less drag to deal with, the Cactus’s offered 3-cylinder “PureTech” gasoline engine would probably be lots fuel efficient when installed in the Airflow idea, but Citroën gave it a various kind of increase in the type of its bizarrely cool air-powered hybrid system. Making use of a pair of pressurized air tanks and a hydraulic pump/motor that feeds energy to a planetary transmission mounted in between it and the gas engine, Citroën gets the rewards of a hybrid with no a heavy battery. (Head right here for a full breakdown of how Citroën’s method performs.)

The goal in all of this Airflowing, lightweighting, and air-pressurizing is hinted at in the “2L” portion of the Citroën’s name. In Europe, the efficient-vehicle holy grail is the so-named “one-liter car” it represents any automobile capable of traveling 25 km (62 miles) on a single liter of fuel. The Volkswagen XL1 resulted from the VW Group’s efforts toward such a automobile, for instance. The C4 Cactus, no matter how several aero bits are blown its way, merely can’;t match the XL1′s potential to reduce via the air, and is therefore a 2-liter auto. Nonetheless, 2 liters of fuel utilized per 25 km translates to practically 118 mpg. Not poor, yet the ideal element is how the Airflow manages to maintain the C4 Cactus’s stylish appears and desirability.

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So Funky, So French: Wild Citroën C4 Cactus Airflow 2L Uses Compressed-Air (!) Hybrid Powertrain to Accomplish 118 mpg