Volkswagen Business Automobiles has launched a plug-in hybrid all-wheel drive system for its Multivan and California fashions, combining electrical driving functionality with typical hybrid know-how and enhanced traction management.
The eHybrid 4Motion system makes use of two electrical motors and a turbocharged petrol engine to supply what the corporate describes as an answer for van and camper van purposes requiring electrical operation, long-distance functionality, and all-weather traction. The system allows purely electrical driving for as much as 95 kilometers when the 19.7 kWh battery is totally charged, with electrical operation attainable at speeds as much as 130 km/h.
The drive configuration locations one electrical motor on every axle, with an 85kW entrance motor and a 100kW rear motor working alongside a 130kW 1.5-liter TSI engine. The system delivers a mixed output of 180kW and most system torque of 350 Nm. Energy distribution between axles is managed by way of Digital Stability Management and might direct as much as one hundred pc of drive pressure to both the entrance or rear axle as situations require.
Each fashions characteristic electrical stationary air con as customary tools, permitting heating, cooling, and air flow whereas parked or charging. The system operates for as much as half-hour on exterior energy or 10 minutes utilizing the automobile’s high-voltage battery. Based on a German Federal Ministry research cited by Volkswagen, 95 p.c of car journeys are shorter than 50 kilometers, putting most journeys throughout the electric-only vary.
The hybrid technique prioritizes electrical energy when the battery has enough cost, with the petrol engine participating above 130 km/h, throughout kickdown acceleration, or when battery ranges drop. In partial-load situations, the petrol engine shuts off routinely, permitting the automobile to coast or function on electrical energy alone. WLTP consumption figures with a discharged battery vary from 7.5 to eight.1 liters per 100 kilometers relying on tools.
The rear electrical motor routinely disengages above 130 km/h in most driving modes to optimize power consumption, besides in Sport mode the place all-wheel drive stays energetic as much as that pace. The system can preserve rear-wheel drive even when the battery is depleted through the use of the entrance motor as a generator powered by the TSI engine.
Technical options of the 1.5 TSI engine embrace a variable turbine geometry turbocharger, high-pressure gasoline injection at 350 bar, and plasma-coated cylinder partitions for friction discount. The engine operates with lambda 1 effectivity throughout its complete working vary, which means the fuel-air combination maintains optimum combustion with out working wealthy or lean.
The high-voltage battery consists of 96 cell modules with liquid cooling and gives almost double the power content material of the earlier front-wheel drive hybrid system. Charging functionality has been enhanced to 11kW at AC stations and as much as 50kW at DC speedy charging stations, with DC charging from 10 to 80 p.c capability attainable in roughly 26 minutes.
The eHybrid 4Motion system replaces the earlier 160kW front-wheel drive plug-in hybrid launched in 2021, which used a smaller 1.4-liter engine and 10.4kWh battery. The brand new system represents an growth of hybrid know-how into the industrial van section with enhanced functionality for numerous purposes.
