VW shows off new hybrid system, engine, in Detroit
VW used this mild-looking Passat sedan to showcase its new engine, a 1.8-liter producing 250 horsepower.
(Credit: Wayne Cunningham/CNET)
Volkswagen has been much better known for its high mileage diesel models than hybrids. Yet at the 2013 Detroit auto show, VW showed a concept featuring a new transmission which will let it turn almost any car in its line-up into a hybrid. The company also showed a new, more efficient direct injection 1.8-liter engine making 250 horsepower.
The CrossBlue concept, a diesel hybrid, relies on what VW board member Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg referred to as an eDSG in an interview with CNET. The eDSG is a new version of VW’s Dual Shift Gearbox (DSG), a transmission with two computer-controlled clutches, that incorporates an electric motor for hybrid car operation.
The transmission includes six fixed gears, and the electric motor provides torque to turn the driveshaft. Combining the electric motor with the transmission makes for a more easily implemented component. VW’s recently released Jetta Hybrid uses a six speed DSG and a separate electric motor.
Dr. Hackenberg said that the eDSG would fit into any VW model using the company’s MQB platform, which means every model except the Touareg. VW could offer almost any of its models as a hybrid by swapping the eD… [Read more]
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