Article on FI
 

Here's an interesting article on FI.
https://www.hotrod.com/articles/e-tu...-turbocharger/

I knew someday someone would do this right. (Beware of the gimmicks though!)

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I really like that they're also using the force to regenerate energy, rather than wasting it solely on providing vehicle propulsion

Interesting article. I've got an idea stirring in my head to reduce the parasitic draw of a belt-driven, positive-displacement supercharger as RPMs increase without using high voltage batteries or electric motors, and would weigh less than half of an e-boost system.

Yeah, there's no free energy, but if you can capture energy that would have been lost and repurpose it, that's pretty close. That's the beauty of most hybrids. The electric part usually isn't adding extra energy from outside the system. Its capturing and storing energy and then timing its use in a way that allows the gas engine to be most efficient.
This system is similar, but instead of actually driving the wheels with that energy, its driving a turbo, which allows the engine to be most powerful rather than most efficient.

Wait, isn't it the same Garrett Motion that is filling for bankruptcy?

Not sure how revolutionary this approach really is. Twin turbochargers, twin-scroll turbochargers, super/turbo-charger combos, all do the same thing (allowing both low-lag and high RPM power). I'm not sure if this is really that much less complex and weighs less, though. Sure, you can use un-boosted exhaust to drive the turbine as a generator, but what will happen in spirited driving where you don't have that much un-boosted time and have a lot of boost demand? I'm sure it'll work well for normal driving and for HP wars (while keeping MPG ratings low), though.

F1 cars can fine tune the setup for each specific track, it's not a luxury street cars have (on the road or on the track).

When you're driving hard, it likely isn't using the motor to spool the turbo at all. It read like the motor only generates boost until the exhaust gasses overtake it, then uses the motor to control your boost level.

Consider your audience. :hide:

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That's right, but in spirited driving you constantly get on and off boost, and I think the electric assist motor would need to work each time you get back on boost, even if you keep the RPM high. If the electric assist is only needed in full out of boost situations (like the examples of low RPM in gear acceleration from the article) this would indeed be less of a concern.

My main concern is that this tech would be aimed at allowing for big HP numbers together with high MPG numbers, together with a responsive low end for the casual driver who wants to mash the throttle at the highest gear doing 50 MPH and overtake on the highway. This won't necessarily get an enthusiast friendly engine (as is the common complaint of your typical turbocharged engine today - lack of high end power and character).

I put 5 laps on a newer Acura NSX at Speedvegas. I think they got it down pretty well. Coolest Hybrid I ever put my dirty hands on.

https://images.hgmsites.net/lrg/2017...00531750_l.jpg

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I think as the technology matures a bit it will be awesome. We have to wait and see what kind of battery systems these types of things will require. Right now there's only 2 options of 48V or 800V. It looks like a cool emerging tech, and we will have to see how the aftermarket handles it if it ever really works well.


The way that it looks to me is that you size the turbo for whatever peak power you want, then the motor takes over any time there is insufficient gas to drive the turbo.


I would tend to think that theoretically, is should also allow a larger turbo to spool faster as well. As the electric motor spools the turbo at lower loads, your engine will get more air in that a standard turbo also increasing your exhaust volume and helping to spool the turbo faster. Of course I could also be completely wrong. It could make for some interesting hybrid gas/electric drive systems though.