It all began in 1989, when a 5-cyclinder TDI diesel engine was fit in an Audi 100. Now, marking the 25th anniversary of diesel powered engines, Audi wanted to outdo itself (and competitors) with a diesel engine that is unlike no other and produced an electrically turbocharged V6 with 385 horsepower and an astonishing 553 pound-feet of torque (!).
While two of the three turbos come standard on Audi’s V6 TDI, it’s the third one that gets all the attention, because the new kid-on-the-block is an electric turbocharger. This innovation solves the conundrum of the dreaded turbo lag, since, rather than using the fuel to get it moving, the turbo uses electricity to compress air which is sent as an instant boost to close the gap in time it takes for the other turbochargers to wake up.
By adding this third turbocharger, the RS5 TDI concept can burst forth from 0 to 100km/h in a flat 4.0 seconds with a top speed of 280 km/h. With efficient, green(er) power like this, the idea of diesel being a slow, dirty engine should be permanently put to rest.
