What's all this about?
Volvo has come up with a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine that makes 450hp - 225hp-per-litre, if you do some simple maths.
Cor blimey, is it an un-driveable mess with truly epic turbo lag?
Actually, no. The High Performance Drive-E Powertrain Concept (HPDPC) has two parallel turbochargers that are kept spooled by an electrically powered turbo compressor unit; this is called 'triple boost' technology and Volvo reckons that third, dedicated compressor eliminates lag, because it only feeds the twin turbochargers and not the cylinders.
Eliminates lag?
Yes, rather than just reducing it, with the Swedes saying it will be more responsive than a traditional single-turbo engine of moderately high output. Also, as another little factoid, the HPDPC is fed by a dual fuel pump running at a colossal 250 bar.
Superb - will we see it in production soon?
It would seem so, although there's no confirmation from Volvo as yet. But seeing as the Volvo Polestar Racing outfit has been involved in the development process, expect to see this in high-performance models in the not-too-distant future.
Matt Robinson - 7 Oct 2014