Audi RS5 TDI Concept Features An Electric Turbocharger

By Santosh

Updated: Thursday, February 26, 2015, 17:16 [IST]

Premium automaker Audi is celebrating 25 years of their TDI engines, and has revealed details of a new Audi RS 5 TDI concept that features a twin-turbo V6 diesel engine with a new electric turbocharger, similar to what debuted in the R18 e-Tron Audi LMP1 Le Mans racer.

The new turbo tech is said to provide the RS5 TDI with "staggering performance" off the line, and is said to all but eliminate turbo lag.

Audi says "an electric motor replaces the turbine wheel and accelerates the compressor wheel to over 70,000 rpm in a few hundredths of a second. The exhaust turbochargers also provide as much as 2.4 bar of relative boost pressure."

The electric turbocharger is powered by a lithium ion battery and uses a 48-volt electrical system that is connected to the regular 12-volt electrical system via a DC/DC converter. The advantage of this 48-volt electrical system is that it is able to transmit much more energy.

The stats for this concept are rather remarkable. The engine produces 385 PS of power and 750 Nm of torque from as low as 1250 rpm to 2000 rpm. Perfomance too is right up there with the best petrols, with the 0-100 km/h dash done in 4 seconds and the 0-200 km/h sprint taking just under 16 seconds. Importantly, the car is extremely fuel efficient as well, with economy figures reading 5.3L/100 km.

According to Audi's head of technical development, Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, "Our latest innovation is the electric turbocharger, which further improves not just sprint times and pulling power, but also efficiency. This technology illustrates the possibilities harbored by 48-volt electrical systems, which we are currently developing for use in production vehicles."

The new engine is rumoured to be featured on the 2015/2016 Q7.