Electric supercharger promises instant power boost

“For small engines to be effective in urban environments, they need near instant full torque availability for the driver demanding strong acceleration. Such responsiveness is essential to avoid fuel being unnecessarily wasted because the driver must continually select low ratio gears in order to keep up with traffic flow.

“To achieve this, smaller engines would typically require sophisticated boosting systems. However, there are simpler and more cost-effective solutions now available that can prevent such systems becoming more complex and expensive than the engine itself.

“Our production-ready variable torque enhancement system (VTES) for example, provides full boost within 350 milliseconds and significantly improves low speed torque response for naturally-aspirated or turbocharged gasoline and diesel engines.

“VTES can be implemented on current vehicles, using existing 12 volt electrical architecture, and is therefore more cost effective than any equivalent mild hybrid solution.”

In essence, the CPT VTES system employs an electric motor driving a supercharger compressor to provide a charge of air to the engine for short periods, when the driving conditions demand it. The transient boost increases engine torque at low engine speeds. When used in series with a conventional turbocharger, the 2kW of electrical power typically translates into 20kW at the crankshaft. The drain on the battery is minimal and its charge soon restored by the engine alternator.

“When correctly matched to the engine, VTES can dramatically increase the air charge density over the critical first 10 combustion cycles of a low speed transient operation, delivering real improvements in both torque and emissions performance, where it matters most,” says Pascoe.

In addition to its electric supercharger, the CPT family of low carbon powertrain related products includes a stop-start system now moving close to production readiness and an exhaust energy recovery system in an advanced stage of development.

The CPT ‘SpeedStart12’ stop-start system can crank up to 2.8-litre gasoline or 2.0-litre diesel engines, also using standard 12 volt architecture. It packages into the space of a typical alternator and all electronics are integrated into the unit.

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