Volkswagen Shows Plans for Mild Hybrid Engines

The company has shown its future plans, which includes the use of 48V mild hybrids and advanced petrol engines. The mild hybrid motor features a 150hp 1.5 TSI turbocharged petrol engine equipped with an 8kW belt-integrated starter generator (BISG), that works as a fast stop-start, and helps boost engine torque and recoup energy to store in the car's 48V lithium ion battery. There will also be a 'mild hybrid plus' version that uses an additional 35hp electric motor on either the front or rear axle.
A new version of the 130hp 1.5 TSI engine is set to go on sale in the UK in the Golf 1.5 TSI, in the near future. A 160hp version is under development, as is a bi-fuel prototype that works with both CNG and petrol. Bio and synthetic fuels, which we will see more of in the future, are expected to “revolutionise the environmental balance sheet for internal combustion engines,” according to a company spokesman. Diesel engines are also part of Volkswagen's Agenda. “Diesel has a long, clean future ahead of it,” said the spokesman.