Here's How Volvo's PowerPulse Tech Makes the Magic of Turbos Even More Magical

That dreaded time interval between the moment you floored the throttle and the engine actually seemed to receive the message felt like an eternity, even though in most cases it was considerably less than a second. But it was a fraction of a second during which everything appeared to stand still, and that's because it pretty much did.

Performance cars had no problem using the technology, and that's because the lag only manifests itself at low revs. A car that's meant to go fast has no reason dropping below 4,000 rpm, so it could keep the turbo spooling at all times. On the road, doing that would make you look like a maniac. Not to mention burn fuel faster than a jet plane at take off.

Volkswagen's solution was to attach a supercharger to its turbocharged engine, and the result was great. Suddenly, a gasoline engine had better torque figures than a diesel (the same output but starting at lower revs and across a wider range), but it wasn't without its flaws. For one thing, it made for a very complex unit, and where there's complexity, there are also a lot of things that can go wrong. Plus, it was expensive, and the fuel consumption figures weren't as good as advertised.

Now Volvo came up with a different solution. Instead of adding another part that forces air into the combustion chamber, the Swedes decided to attach a tank that's filled with pressurized air by an air compressor fed through the main filter. If the need for more boost at lower revs arises, the tank can quickly discharge a burst onto the turbocharger fan's blades, giving it a spin.

Once the engine revs climb, the pressure from the exhaust gases takes over, like in any regular turbo system, and the air tank gets filled back up to be ready for the next time it'll be called upon. It's still somewhat bulky, but it's definitely a more straightforward system than having both a supercharger and a turbocharger on the engine, with similar effects.

Since a lot of vehicles now have a hybrid system, and their number is only going to grow (particularly at Volvo), wouldn't it be easier to use an electric motor to drive the turbocharger, like Audi does? Well, yes, but that's the beauty of Volvo's PowerPulse. It can be used with any type of engine, even diesel, and we all know there aren't that many hybrid oil burners out there.

Here a short video with a more detailed explanation of how it all works, and some graphics to make it easier to understand. Essentially, it's just a simple low-tech solution that can stand in for other, more complicated means of achieving the same result. Ingenuity at its best.