The TSI engine presented by Volkswagen at the 2005 IAA is characterised by the especially efficient combination of petrol direct injection and double charging. The new engine technology has now been awarded several innovation prizes.
Smaller engines are usually more economical, but also have less power than their big brothers. With the further development of petrol direct injection in the TSI engine, Volkswagen has made people think again. The new TSI engines are smaller, save fuel, but have more power. Or to put it simply: they are much more efficient. There are two reasons for this. By reducing the capacity, the frictional losses are lower and a higher degree of engine efficiency is achieved. This first explanation is called "downsizing". If the compact engine is then charged, in the case of the TSI engine both with an exhaust gas turbo charger and a compressor, there is higher pressure and higher capacity in the lower and upper rpm range. This explanation is called double charging and gives the TSI its name: "Twincharger".
The world's first petrol engine with petrol direct injection and double charging was awarded the innovation prize by the US magazine "Popular Science" in the autumn. In early 2006 this was followed by the renowned Paul Pietsch Prize by the specialist journal "auto motor und sport". It rewarded the head of Volkswagen Aggregates Development, Dr Rudolf Krebs, for the economical and at the same time high-performance and high-torque TSI engine and thus honoured the "particularly pioneering development in the car sector". Since the end of 2005 the TSI engine has been in use for the first time in the Golf GT. In early 2006 a lower power version in the Touran was added to the range. The TSI technology is now used in many models. With the Twincharger Volkswagen has take a great step on the road towards the declared goal of reducing CO2 emissions to a value of 140 g/km by 2008. Just like the diesel engine family of TDI, the new petrol engines greatly reduce fuel consumption. The torque of the 1.4 l Twincharger corresponds to an aspiration engine with a capacity of approx. 2.3 l. In comparison to this, the consumption and thus the carbon dioxide emissions are around 20 per cent lower.
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