Honeywell expects uptick in US Turbo sales due to upcoming DOT/EPA FE standards

[xcel]

Turbocharged Gas and Diesel engines offer affordable fuel efficiency improvements.

Wayne Gerdes - CleanMPG - April 4, 2010

2011 Chevrolet Cruze will be a key Honeywell turbo customer.

Honeywell expects to see a significant increase in demand for turbocharged vehicles in the U.S. as a result of the new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) standards. The Federal rules will effectively increase the average fuel economy of new cars and trucks to 35.5 mpg by 2016. As a result, Honeywell expects the number of new, turbocharged cars sold in the U.S. to grow from five percent today to as much as 25% in the next five years.

“It is increasingly clear that the internal combustion engine - diesel and gasoline - with its potential for further efficiency improvement will remain the dominant platform for the next 20 years, combined with different levels of hybridization,” said Alex Ismail, President and CEO of Honeywell Transportation Systems. "Turbos represent an effective, reliable and affordable path to increased fuel efficiency and we look forward to continuing to partner with global automakers on future platforms to help meet these new standards."

For a quick overview of Honeywell’s Turbo program, Turbocharging – A transportation technology for ever higher FE is a good start.

In the new regulations announced yesterday, the EPA and the DOT specifically referenced that turbocharging will "play an important role in achieving the fuel economy improvements" necessary to meet the 2016 standards. Turbochargers enable auto manufacturers to reduce the size of an engine by 25-30%, improving fuel efficiency and reducing harmful emissions without compromising performance.

Honeywell will be launching 15 new turbocharger technologies and boosting over 100 new engine platforms in 2010 for automakers across the globe, including diesel and gasoline passenger cars, on-highway trucks and off-highway vehicles. Honeywell is already working with leading automakers to provide more efficient turbocharged engines in the U.S. including the launch of Ford's first EcoBoost vehicle last year and GM's upcoming launch of its Chevrolet Cruze.

In Europe, Honeywell’s latest turbo technology was featured in more than 25 new vehicles launched at last year’s 79th International Motor Show of Geneva. The company's latest turbo’s are installed in vehicles with engines ranging from 1.4 to 6.0L including both diesel and gasoline engines.

[EVuser]

Are these modern turbochargers more reliable? Turbo chargers in diesels have always done reasonably well because of the basic design difference but in gas vehicle of the past they are usually a problem waiting to happen. I would bet my money and mpg on a hybrid before a gas turbo charged engine.

[xcel]

Hi EVuser:

___Much more reliable.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

[npauli]

I think the new Ford 6.7L diesel uses a unique honewell (garett) turbo too.

Borg Warner gave a talk at a local SAE meeting a few months back, and basically saw similar stuff in their future as what's described above:

FE & CO2 regs => downsizing & boosting of more engines

They also had some interesting insight into the evolution of diesel boosting needs:
1) In the beginning there was the NA diesel
2) Turbos were first used for power density and efficiency, then later wastegated for some improved tradeoffs.
3) Emissions regulations (~ 2004 for US EPA) drove the need for EGR, which drove the need for more boost to offset reduced oxygen in cylinder, which gave rise to fancier turbo systems (series turbos, variable geometry, electric wastegate control, etc.)
4) Now that almost everyone is using SCR for 2010 US EPA & similar regulations, they don't need as much EGR, so they don't need as much boost. Therefore we might see turbo complexity dialed down a notch in the future.

[WriConsult]

Subaru has been selling Turbos since the 1980s, in the aftermath of the last major fuel crisis. Although they were problematic initially, they've been considered reliable for many years. Several current popular Subaru models feature turbos, and none are considered troublesome that I'm aware of.

VW/Audi has sold a high proportion of turbos for quite a few years too. Not exactly the most reliable cars, but turbos are the least of these cars' problems.

IIRC most turbocharged cars now have electric oil pumps or some other means of keeping the turbo lubricated if the engine is turned off while it's spinning fast. My understanding is that is where most of the turbo problems of the past came from.