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New York - When automakers began downsizing their engines to meet strict European and United States emissions regulations they turned to forced induction and mainly turbochargers for extra oomph.
However, one of the biggest drawbacks of forced induction is lag... and lots of it.
BMW, Porsche and Audi played around by using two smaller turbos (one that works at low revs and the other at higher revs) to mitigate lag.
The latter automaker is now using newer tech in its mammoth SQ7, a high-performance SUV that has an electric supercharger.
Watch the video below to see how it works:
Engineering Explained: "The Audi SQ7 is powered by a 4.0-litre sequential turbo diesel V8. It's good for about 324kW and 895Nm , which is great, but the fun doesn't stop there. In order to eliminate unresponsive nature of turbocharged engines, Audi has fitted the car with an electric supercharger, the first in a production vehicle.
"This means adding an onboard 48V system that can handle the additional power requirements of the electric powered compressor (EPC), which at full throttle can produce 7kW of power, enough to spin the compressor wheel up to 70 000 RPM in just a quarter of a second. Full details of how this system works in the video, as well as animations."
