Photo: Volkswagen AG
Since the infamous Dieselgate scandal that rocked the automotive industry in 2015, Volkswagen has shown its commitment to environmentally friendly vehicles by expanding its all-electric ID. range, introducing a wide range of hybrid powertrains, and upgrading its ICEs. The brand's most popular diesel engine, the 2.0-liter TDI, is the latest to receive such an upgrade, which lowers its emissions even further.
Although its popularity took a huge hit in 2015, the 2.0 TDI remains the most successful engine in the carmaker’s lineup, especially in Europe. It can be found on most VW Group models, from the Golf or Passat to the Audi A4 or Q5 and everything in-between - not to mention a slew of Skoda and SEAT products.
The first four-cylinder TDI given the internal designation EA 288 was introduced on Volkswagen vehicles in 2012, and after six years of constant development, the highly improved version was given the suffix “evo”.
The latest evolution brings reduced fuel consumption, lower emissions, better acoustics, and substantially more power and torque, while also being optimized for use with hybrid systems. This allows VW to continue to use its popular diesel while complying with Europe’s latest emission standards.
Starting next year, all new vehicles requesting first-time approvals for road use on the continent will have to comply with the new Euro 6d standard, which limits nitrogen oxide emissions to 80 mg/km. To put it into perspective, the Euro 3 standard of the early 2000s established a threshold of 500 mg/km.
To comply with the stricter standards, the two-liter diesel engine was further updated, with the manufacturer opting for a dual strategy.
It optimized the combustion process to reduce raw emissions while also introducing the latest twin dosing technology to the engine’s exhaust system to convert most of the nitrogen oxides into harmless substances.
For the first part of the strategy, the efficiency of the radiator used for the low-pressure exhaust gas recirculation system has been improved by 25%, reducing the formation of nitrogen oxides in the combustion chamber in high-load situations.
The fuel injectors were optimized to run with high precision constantly, delivering up to nine injections per combustion cycle, and the maximum injection pressure was increased to 2,200 bar (31908 psi).
Volkswagen also developed an advanced twin dosing technology to treat the exhaust gases as part of its strategy of reducing emissions.
Along with two SCR catalytic converters that work together to split nitrogen oxides into water and nitrogen using AdBlue, the emissions of all 2.0 TDI output variants are now well under the restrictions of the Euro 6d standard.
The first SCR catalytic converter is placed directly downstream of the engine and acts as a particulate filter converting more than 90% of the nitrogen oxides when the exhaust gas temperature is between 220 and 350 degrees Celsius (between 428 and 662 F), according to the manufacturer.
Due to its positioning, it immediately starts working after a cold start, which is when the bulk of the harmful gasses is produced.
The second SCR catalytic converter, which shares the task of converting nitrogen oxides with the first SCR unit, is installed further away from the engine, on the vehicle floor.
It uses a split design and has a volume of 2.5 to 3.0 liters (0.66 to 0.79 US gal.), depending on the vehicle and power output.
When reaching the catalytic converter, the exhaust gases, which can reach temperatures of over 500 degrees Celsius (932 F), are cooled down to approximately 350 degrees Celsius (662 F), enabling high conversion rates.
The state-of-the-art 2.0 TDI engines featuring these updated exhaust gas technologies already power most of the brand’s latest updated models, including the Golf, Tiguan, Passat, and Arteon.
Volkswagen promises to intensively continue the development of its successful diesel engines with the main goal of exclusively offering it in combination with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system in the near future.
The first four-cylinder TDI given the internal designation EA 288 was introduced on Volkswagen vehicles in 2012, and after six years of constant development, the highly improved version was given the suffix “evo”.
The latest evolution brings reduced fuel consumption, lower emissions, better acoustics, and substantially more power and torque, while also being optimized for use with hybrid systems. This allows VW to continue to use its popular diesel while complying with Europe’s latest emission standards.
Starting next year, all new vehicles requesting first-time approvals for road use on the continent will have to comply with the new Euro 6d standard, which limits nitrogen oxide emissions to 80 mg/km. To put it into perspective, the Euro 3 standard of the early 2000s established a threshold of 500 mg/km.
To comply with the stricter standards, the two-liter diesel engine was further updated, with the manufacturer opting for a dual strategy.
It optimized the combustion process to reduce raw emissions while also introducing the latest twin dosing technology to the engine’s exhaust system to convert most of the nitrogen oxides into harmless substances.
For the first part of the strategy, the efficiency of the radiator used for the low-pressure exhaust gas recirculation system has been improved by 25%, reducing the formation of nitrogen oxides in the combustion chamber in high-load situations.
The fuel injectors were optimized to run with high precision constantly, delivering up to nine injections per combustion cycle, and the maximum injection pressure was increased to 2,200 bar (31908 psi).
Volkswagen also developed an advanced twin dosing technology to treat the exhaust gases as part of its strategy of reducing emissions.
Along with two SCR catalytic converters that work together to split nitrogen oxides into water and nitrogen using AdBlue, the emissions of all 2.0 TDI output variants are now well under the restrictions of the Euro 6d standard.
The first SCR catalytic converter is placed directly downstream of the engine and acts as a particulate filter converting more than 90% of the nitrogen oxides when the exhaust gas temperature is between 220 and 350 degrees Celsius (between 428 and 662 F), according to the manufacturer.
Due to its positioning, it immediately starts working after a cold start, which is when the bulk of the harmful gasses is produced.
The second SCR catalytic converter, which shares the task of converting nitrogen oxides with the first SCR unit, is installed further away from the engine, on the vehicle floor.
It uses a split design and has a volume of 2.5 to 3.0 liters (0.66 to 0.79 US gal.), depending on the vehicle and power output.
When reaching the catalytic converter, the exhaust gases, which can reach temperatures of over 500 degrees Celsius (932 F), are cooled down to approximately 350 degrees Celsius (662 F), enabling high conversion rates.
The state-of-the-art 2.0 TDI engines featuring these updated exhaust gas technologies already power most of the brand’s latest updated models, including the Golf, Tiguan, Passat, and Arteon.
Volkswagen promises to intensively continue the development of its successful diesel engines with the main goal of exclusively offering it in combination with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system in the near future.
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