VW unveils next-gen TDI engine
Part of the consortium of German auto manufacturers developing the Bluetec diesel technology, Volkswagen just announced that its new TDI will the cleanest diesel on the planet. To be used in the 2008 VW Jetta (and other smaller VWs), the new 2.0 liter common rail diesel engine differs from the urea injection systems used in other Bluetec vehicles, in that a nitrogen oxide reservoir in the catalytic converter is used to help it meet even Californian's most stringent emission standards, the Tier 2 / Bin 5 levels. A filter of sorts in the catalytic converter absorbs NOx like a sponge and constantly cleans itself by alternating modes for a few seconds periodically. We're told to expect this VeeDub to achieve a 90% reduction in NOx levels. Pretty impressive. Curiously, however, there's no mention of either projected fuel economy or power figures.
For larger cars, like the Passat, VW will use the Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) catalytic converter. That's the one with the
Check out the press release in full after the jump.
[Source: Volkswagen]
Press Release:
Volkswagen unveiled the cleanest ever TDI engine
A VW Jetta TDI fulfils the most stringent worldwide exhaust gas thresholds with its nitrogen oxide post-treatment system developed by Volkswagen. The USA market launch within the BlueTec alliance is planned for 2008.
Wolfsburg, 04 January 2007 - Volkswagen unveiled the cleanest ever TDI engine. First test drives demonstrate the high potential of Volkswagen technology, which consequently reduce nitrogen oxide. In the VW Jetta a new 2.0 litre Common Rail diesel engine with a nitrogen oxide reservoir catalytic converter was used, which complies to the Californian emission standard "Tier 2 / Bin 5". These requirements are considered the most stringent worldwide. The first production run of the "Clean TDI" with nitrogen oxide post-treatment system will be made during 2008 in the USA.
The central theme of the entire concept is the reduction of nitrogen oxide. The engineers in Wolfsburg reached this goal through internal development of the motor and the use of new emission post-treatment technology. The result: up to 90% less nitrogen oxide emissions (NOx).
This drastic reduction was necessary in order to comply with the "Tier 2 / Bin 5" norm, which applies to California and four other states in the north-east of America (Massachusetts, New York, Vermont and Maine). This norm limits nitrogen oxide emissions to 70 mg per mile. In order to comply with this standard, completely new emission treatment technology was necessary. Volkswagen has thus developed two systems connected to the oxidation catalytic converter and the particle filter in the exhaust system.
New NOx reservoir catalytic converter technology is currently being tested for car models below the Passat class. Nitrogen oxide is ab sorbed like a sponge, leading to a high level of efficiency. As with the particle filter, the system is regularly cleaned without the driver noticing. To do this, the engine management system changes operation modes for a few seconds.
Larger and heavier models feature the Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) catalytic converter. The central element is an aqueous solution such as AdBlue, which is transported in an additional tank made from stainless steel or plastic. 32.5% of this solution is comprised of urea, and is continuously injected into the exhaust system in front of the SCR catalytic converter using a metering valve. The dosage is made according to the gas emission stream.
The urea solution is finely atomised by a grille and is converted in hot exhaust gas into ammonia before it reaches the catalytic converter. The ammonia then reacts with the nitrogen oxide in the catalytic converter and separates it into nitrogen and water. Unlike pure ammonia, AdBlue solution is non-toxic, odourless and biodegradable. Volkswagen intends to install the additional tank so that the car can be driven without main tenance between two garage inspections - the garage simply refills the tank at the next scheduled inspection date. According to American regulations, the complete system must be fully functional for at least 150,000 miles.
BlueTec is a joint project of the German car manufacturers Volkswagen, Audi and DaimlerChrysler, intended to establish the diesel engine further in the American car market. The manufacturers are convinced that the diesel motor is the clean, low-consumption alternative for future car use, which is backed up by current economic and political condi tions. Each of the manufacturers involved in the BlueTec joint project is working on individual technical solutions for stringent exhaust gas emission standards and plans to market these independently.
Volkswagen is definitely the diesel pioneer in the USA – more than 800,000 diesel cars from Volkswagen have already been sold there.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
chuck goolsbee 12:22PM (1/04/2007)
Very nice... way to go VW. We need more Diesels!
--chuck
Reply
Raymond 11:59AM (1/04/2007)
I think because the new VW engine has a high torque peak around 1,900 rpm, the new Jettas and Rabbits coming this fall with the new engine will probably be almost as fast as the I-5 powered Jettas and Rabbits now on sale. And everyone likes the prospect of 40 mpg or more in freeway driving, too.
Reply
sfast 12:05PM (1/04/2007)
The car will likely have 130-140hp like the TDI Passat with about 220ft/bls. It will easily be over 40mpg(real world). But I had thought that the Jetta wasn't going to use bluetech and had already beaten the 08 California emission standards.
Anyway, NO SMOG CHECKS! Ye Ha!
Reply
chewy 12:37PM (1/04/2007)
This is a completely new 4 cylinder TDI for VW, the Europeans don't even have the common rail 2.0 TDI yet. This one is expected to make 140 hp and about 240 lb-ft of torque so it should be quicker than the 5 cylinder gasoline powered engine. This TDI won't use any liquid injection technology, but all 50 state diesels will be labeled Bluetec.
Reply
chuck goolsbee 1:26PM (1/04/2007)
Speaking of Diesels and performance, I'm driving my TDI down the West Coast this weekend... I plan on tracking data such as MPG, average speed, etc. Check my blog for details this weekend:
http://chuck.goolsbee.org
--chuck
Reply
Mike 3:54PM (1/04/2007)
A 6-cylinder diesel in the Passat - that would make my day.
Reply
Michael Karesh 1:06PM (1/04/2007)
So, chewy, there are two Bluetec diesels, a near future one with and a far future one without the urea?
And urea is...
Real-world fuel economy for the current TDIs can be found here:
http://www.truedelta.com/fuel_economy.php?stage=powertrains&brand=Volkswagen&modelCode=279&email=Guest
Reply
Riker 1:12PM (1/04/2007)
'...at which point the service tech will refill it.'
"Bathroom break, boss?"
"We've got a Jetta Diesel coming in at 2, can you hold it 'till then?"
Reply
RonN 1:48PM (1/04/2007)
This means VW will start importing more diesels into the US. All of the well known German brands have awesome TD's but we have never received any of them.
Reply
Peter 5:03AM (1/05/2007)
The same good old song... Toyota uses better (DNPR, named as D-CAT) system in Europe since 2003 in their 2,0D4D D-CAT and 2,2D4D D-CAT engines...
VW says, Toyota made. That is all.
Reply
Gerry 11:45PM (1/04/2007)
Too bad the per gallon premium with diesel and the higher MSRP will kill any money return with the purchase.
Reply
asurroca 1:43PM (1/05/2007)
The 150 hp I5 moves the MkV Jetta just fine, so 140 hp and 240 lb-ft torque on tap at low rpms should be fantastic. IIRC from back when they were touring that Jetta 2.0 TDI around a month or two back, fuel economy is supposed to be significantly better (double digits) than current TDIs, so we could be talking as much as 50 MPG real-world fuel economy here. And if they could get 40 MPG out of the BlueTec Passat, well, damn, then, BlueTec is going to be the buzzword of 2008.
Reply
Daniel 5:44PM (1/04/2007)
BioDiesel is the future until a couple of trillion dollars of infrastructure can be developed to service hydrogen fuel stations. In other words - BioDiesel will be the main fuel for the next 50 years.
I do hope the American car companies get with it and soon.
Reply
chewy 7:09PM (1/04/2007)
Michael Karesh
No, for the small 4 cylinder diesel (2.0 TDI) there will be no AdBlue injection, that will be for the V6, V8, V10 and V12 TDIs only.
Reply
Donan Iacovone 7:03PM (1/04/2007)
Dan,
What about nuclear power, advance battery technologies, plug in hybrid electric power, and shale oil? Don't you think they will be a part of the energy puzzle along with biofuel and hydrogen? I am expecting plug in biodiesel hybrid in the near future averaging well over 100 mpg.
Donfromnaples
Reply
Daniel 8:46PM (1/04/2007)
Donan: Yes, I agree, and that is exactly what I am talking about when I say BioDiesel Hybrid. It should be a "Full Plug-In, all electric series drive with a BioDiesel APU." And, in a small car (Focus, Civic etc. size) it would get about 100 MPG.
The Big 3 have had this technology for several years (take a look at the PNGV program of the '90s where their concept "full size cars" got about 80 MPG).
The company that takes the lead in this technology is going to be a big winner.
Reply
Greg A. 8:52PM (1/04/2007)
"The first production run of the 'Clean TDI' with nitrogen oxide post-treatment system will be made during 2008 in the USA."
What? They're going to make these cars in the USA? There must be a typo in that sentence. Maybe it was meant to read, "...will be made AVAILABLE during 2008 in the USA."
Reply
ruggels 10:57PM (1/04/2007)
Ummm so to all of you indicating it'll be faster then the i5 gas engine, care to provide some sort of justification. Having owned a 2.Slow and 2002 TDI at the same time, I can safely say the TDI felt no faster on the but dyno even though it had more torque then the 2.Slow. Please elaborate other then just indicating 'well it's got more torque'.
Thanks in advance.
(currently own a Jetta 2.0T, the aforementioned 2002 Jetta TDI, a GTI and an 05 Passat TDI so i’m no stranger to the brand or the engines... though I will say the passat feels every bit as quick as the new camry hybrid. weird - apples and oranges i know).
Reply
chewy 12:15AM (1/05/2007)
ruggels
The 1.9 is the old TDI with 100 horsepower and 177 lb-ft of torqe gets to 60 in 10.2 seconds, the 150 hp and 170 lb-ft I5 gets to 60 in 9.2 seconds. The new TDI will have 140 horsepower and 240 lb-ft of torque. The figures just stack up to make the new TDI quicker than the I5 gasoline powered Jetta.
Gerry
Diesel is at most 10-15% more expensive, but returns 40% more fuel economy (on the Jetta) Let's see, that looks like plenty of savings, and diesel just might go down as the prices have flip floped before.
Reply
Rod Campbell-Ross 6:16PM (1/05/2007)
Hydrogen is never going to happen. Biodiesel (and ethanol) compete for scarce farmland production with food. Already people are starving so we in the west can drive around. Anyway these two imposters (biodiesel and ethanol) will never be more than a small part of the solution (if there ever is one).
Buying a VW TDI is one of the most sensible car choices you can make. Oil production worldwide has remained static since late 2004 (its true - check out the EIA and IEA websites) and there are serious questions if it will ever increase again.
What this will mean is a drastically higher oil prices(and petrol and diesel prices too). The only thing a petrol Hummer will be good for will be to keep chikens in. Meanwhile all the VW TDI's will still be driving around, except maybe not quite as much.
If you want to know more about this subject go to www.energybulletin.net.
Reply