Audi has unveiled the future of performance TFSI engines today, with a concept coupe that's coming to the Worthersee GTI Treffen. It's called the TT Clubsport and under its hood is a 2.5 TFSI which uses an electric biturbo setup.
The advantages promised are just fantastic. After launch, the car sprints 16 meters (52.5 ft) in just 2.5 seconds, which is 6 meters (19.7 ft) further than a comparable car without this innovation. That is a difference of around one and one-half car lengths.
We haven't even gotten to the best part yet, as the output of this 2.5-liter inline-5 is rated at 600 hp of power and 650 Nm (479.4 lb-ft) of torque, the latter from 3,000 to 7,000 rpm. That translates to 240 hp and 260 Nm (191.8 lb-ft) per liter of displacement or about twice what you get with a regular TTS coupe.
Given these numbers, it's not surprising that the TT Clubsport, which is as light as a race car, needs only 3.6 seconds to reach 100 km/h and has a top speed of 310 km/h (192.6 mph). Can you imagine a car that shares its platform with the humble Golf keeping up with a Ferrari?
Audi was the first car company to show electric turbocharging technology for road cars. The RS5 TDI was built to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their turbodiesels and used a kind of electric supercharger to boost a 3.0 TDI to V8 levels of performance. The production debut should take place within the next year, on the SQ7 SUV.
Now they want to do the same with petrol engines. The 2.5 TFSI supposedly reached its full potential in the 367 horsepower RS3. But with the e-turbo setup, the same engine could potentially motivate an R8.
How does this setup work? At low revs, electricity is used to feed more air into the intake system. It's said that the e-turbo provides 200 Nm (148 lb-ft) of extra torque compared to what an atmospheric 2.5L engine would have. . A dedicated 48volt electrical sub-system supplies electrical energy to the turbocharger. It's fed by a compact lithium-ion battery in the luggage compartment the energy that is generated by recuperation when coasting.
Will the TT-RS get this engine? No. But development chief Prof. Dr. Hackenberg says the “technology close to production readiness” so fingers crossed, we will see the 2.5 biturbo on a future model.
“In our TDI engines, we are close to production readiness with this technology. We are now presenting it in a TFSI – here too, we are the first automaker in the world to do this. For our fans at Wörthersee, we have packaged the electric biturbo in a very sporty show car.”
Editor's note: What a beautiful concept. It's probably what the TT-RS will look like, minus the flared wheel arches and gigantic wing. And check out that Audi R8 6-speed manual gearbox!
We haven't even gotten to the best part yet, as the output of this 2.5-liter inline-5 is rated at 600 hp of power and 650 Nm (479.4 lb-ft) of torque, the latter from 3,000 to 7,000 rpm. That translates to 240 hp and 260 Nm (191.8 lb-ft) per liter of displacement or about twice what you get with a regular TTS coupe.
Given these numbers, it's not surprising that the TT Clubsport, which is as light as a race car, needs only 3.6 seconds to reach 100 km/h and has a top speed of 310 km/h (192.6 mph). Can you imagine a car that shares its platform with the humble Golf keeping up with a Ferrari?
Audi was the first car company to show electric turbocharging technology for road cars. The RS5 TDI was built to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their turbodiesels and used a kind of electric supercharger to boost a 3.0 TDI to V8 levels of performance. The production debut should take place within the next year, on the SQ7 SUV.
Now they want to do the same with petrol engines. The 2.5 TFSI supposedly reached its full potential in the 367 horsepower RS3. But with the e-turbo setup, the same engine could potentially motivate an R8.
How does this setup work? At low revs, electricity is used to feed more air into the intake system. It's said that the e-turbo provides 200 Nm (148 lb-ft) of extra torque compared to what an atmospheric 2.5L engine would have. . A dedicated 48volt electrical sub-system supplies electrical energy to the turbocharger. It's fed by a compact lithium-ion battery in the luggage compartment the energy that is generated by recuperation when coasting.
Will the TT-RS get this engine? No. But development chief Prof. Dr. Hackenberg says the “technology close to production readiness” so fingers crossed, we will see the 2.5 biturbo on a future model.
“In our TDI engines, we are close to production readiness with this technology. We are now presenting it in a TFSI – here too, we are the first automaker in the world to do this. For our fans at Wörthersee, we have packaged the electric biturbo in a very sporty show car.”
Editor's note: What a beautiful concept. It's probably what the TT-RS will look like, minus the flared wheel arches and gigantic wing. And check out that Audi R8 6-speed manual gearbox!