Photo: Volkswagen
Most European brands offer low-emissions versions of their regular cars. Skoda has GreenLine, BMW the 320d EfficientDynamics, and Volkswagen names its diesel sippers "BlueMotion."
A couple of years ago, even before the Dieselgate scandal struck, the German automaker began selling gasoline-powered BlueMotion models, usually packing the 1.0-liter TSI engine. One such system completely replaced the TDI on the Polo. However, the next generation of the Golf, due out in 2019, will go a step beyond that with the first commercial vehicle VW makes with a 48-volt electric architecture.
You've got it on the SQ7 and the Bentayga, where it's responsible for shuffling power for the anti-roll bars and powering the new e-charger for the 4.0 TDI. But we always knew there would be more commercial applications.
Besides the gas-electric hybrid BlueMotion model, there will still be a small diesel engine in the 2019 Golf range, most likely a 1.6 TDI.
"But 48v allows you to recycle energy more efficiently than 12v and to use it to drive the car with an electric motor of about 10- or 12kW, at a much lower cost than you can with a full hybrid powertrain today. So for those who drive mostly in the city or only cover 6000- to 10,000 miles a year, the new mild hybrid solution should be better," VW brand chairman Dr. Herbert Diess has told Autocar.
Volkswagen is keen to become the world largest automaker, and the Golf is its primary fighting tool. The compact hatch has already received a variable geometry turbo and gesture controls for its infotainment system.
Diess did not want to talk about the role a 48V system might play for other versions of the Golf. But there's a real change the hybrid GTI has something to do with it... just not in 2019.
It's also not knowing what kind of fuel consumption benefits we'd see over a regular 1.0 TSI-powered Golf. For instance, Audi's advanced Ultra quattro system that decouples the rear wheels from the power only saves about 5%.
But considering the 48V system is referred to as "architecture," it's highly likely that the powertrain will be used by at least one more brand, if not all. After all, cost sharing was how the MQB came to be.
You've got it on the SQ7 and the Bentayga, where it's responsible for shuffling power for the anti-roll bars and powering the new e-charger for the 4.0 TDI. But we always knew there would be more commercial applications.
Besides the gas-electric hybrid BlueMotion model, there will still be a small diesel engine in the 2019 Golf range, most likely a 1.6 TDI.
"But 48v allows you to recycle energy more efficiently than 12v and to use it to drive the car with an electric motor of about 10- or 12kW, at a much lower cost than you can with a full hybrid powertrain today. So for those who drive mostly in the city or only cover 6000- to 10,000 miles a year, the new mild hybrid solution should be better," VW brand chairman Dr. Herbert Diess has told Autocar.
Volkswagen is keen to become the world largest automaker, and the Golf is its primary fighting tool. The compact hatch has already received a variable geometry turbo and gesture controls for its infotainment system.
Diess did not want to talk about the role a 48V system might play for other versions of the Golf. But there's a real change the hybrid GTI has something to do with it... just not in 2019.
It's also not knowing what kind of fuel consumption benefits we'd see over a regular 1.0 TSI-powered Golf. For instance, Audi's advanced Ultra quattro system that decouples the rear wheels from the power only saves about 5%.
But considering the 48V system is referred to as "architecture," it's highly likely that the powertrain will be used by at least one more brand, if not all. After all, cost sharing was how the MQB came to be.
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