Volvo Car Corporation has revealed initial details of its new Drive-E four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines. Originally announced as the ‘VEA’ family, the arrival of Drive-E powertrains will mean the eventual phasing out of VCC’s five- and six-cylinder engines.
The new engines, which will be revealed at September’s Frankfurt motor show, are a common rail diesel and a direct-injected gasoline unit. Theses will replace what a statement from VCC terms “eight engine architectures on three platforms”. Both the diesel and the gasoline versions share the same architecture.
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“We have created smaller, more intelligent engines with power curves that give exciting drivability compared with engines with more cylinders, yet deliver the fuel economy of only four cylinders. In addition, by adding electrification such as plug-in hybrid technology, we will reach power figures in the V8 territory,” said Derek Crabb, vice president of Powertrain Engineering at Volvo Car Group.
The first three 2.0-litre petrol and diesel engines will be launched in autumn 2013. The diesel features what VCC terms “world-first i-Art technology”, while the most powerful petrol version is both supercharged and turbocharged.
Drive-E diesels will have power outputs of between 120hp and 230hp, and the petrol units will produce between 140hp and “300 plus” horsepower. VCC further notes that certain units will also gain “added performance via electrification or other spearhead technology”.
The compact size of the engines means that an electric motor can be fitted in the front or rear of the vehicle. The battery pack will be located in the centre of the car.
Initially, the S60, V60 and XC60 will be available with three engines from the new family: 306hp petrol turbo T6, the 245hp T5 and 181hp D4 diesel. A six-speed manual will be standard, plus a new eight speed automatic gearbox will be fitted to certain variants. The T5 and D4 engines will also available in the V70, XC70 and S80.
“The power you get from an engine has nothing to do with its size; it is about the amount of air that you can get to flow through it. You can also make an engine more efficient if you make it smaller. So, if you can get more air through a smaller engine, you can still get the same power but at better efficiency,” says Derek Crabb, concluding: “When I was involved in Formula 1 engines, they were producing 1.5-litre turbo charged engines capable of over 900 hp. And these new Volvo Drive-E engines have in fact been tested on the racetrack already. The engine we used in Volvo’s WTCC car in 2011 was a Drive-E prototype and by the last race we set a new track record.”
A separate statement issued by VCNA (Volvo Cars of North America) notes that in the United States, a 240-horsepower version and a higher performance 302-horsepower version will be available. VCNA further notes that it will “continue to offer its current lineup of AWD powertrains, along with Drive-E”, adding that “US customers can choose between the new engines and some current engines until Volvo transitions solely to Drive-E”.
VCC’s new engines were developed in-house and are being manufactured at the company’s Skövde plant in Sweden.
Author: Glenn Brooks
