Volvo release triple turbo engine

The Volvo’s Drive-E engine family is already using forced induction in interesting ways, like the four-cylinder engine that’s turbocharged and supercharged, but the company is going one further with a new concept engine that uses three turbochargers to make more than 200 hp per liter.

This High Performance Drive-E concept engine starts with the same 2.0-liter gasoline four-cylinder that powers many current Volvo models, but adds three turbochargers: YES. youread that right, it comes with three turbochargers :two conventional units that are fed by an electric turbocharger. Essentially, the compressed air from the electric turbocharger is used to spool up the two parallel turbocharger units, which then feed the cylinders for greater power output. Volvo says this system eliminates turbo lag compared to traditional turbochargers that are spooled from the engine's exhaust.

Because of this, the triple-turbo Drive-E engine makes up to 450 hp, giving this engine a specific output of 225 hp per liter. That’s significantly higher than the turbocharged and supercharged T6 Drive-E engine that makes 302 hp in the S60 and XC60 models.

Volvo is not giving any details about potential production applications of this new technology, but does say that it is planning to work with suppliers including AVL, Denso, and Volvo Polestar for potential racing applications going forward. We would not be surprised to see this triple-turbo engine in a future high-performance Volvo model, possibly the S90 sedan that’s set to debut in 2016 as a 2017 model.

Stay tuned for more news about Volvo’s Drive-E engine family and this new turbocharger technology.