Audi Launches New Diesel V6 Engine That Can Potentially Run On Vegetable Oil

SAUDI ARABIA: In 2025, Diesel cars can be considered just as old as the dinosaurs whose remains make up the diesel these cars use. Due to tighter emission restrictions and an outright ban on non-EV cars upcoming in Europe, diesel car sales have plummeted, and they’re currently running below plug-in hybrids for the first time ever. In such a time, launching a new Diesel variant may seem extremely risky, but for the brand that’s launching its own Formula One team in just a few months, the risk felt like a moment to give one last hurrah to the globally loved reliability specialist that is the diesel engine. 

The new V6 diesel engine from Audi promises “zero turbo lag.” This is made possible with some complex engineering, but from the looks of it, it may not be all claims and may be rooted more in reality than it seems. The engine doesn’t have a standard turbodiesel lump. It has a mild-hybrid feature where the traditional exhaust-driven turbocharger is paired with a 48-volt electrically powered compressor. The compressor kicks in at low RPMs and spins at 90,000 RPM in just 250 milliseconds. It force feeds air into the main-turbo, cutting down on the turbocharger lag significantly. This technology potentially can make an ICE car have a similar throttle response to an EV, and that’s exactly what Audi is claiming they have achieved.

Coming to the claim that this engine may run on vegetable oil, surprisingly, it's not a hoax, though it's more complicated than the headline suggests. The engine has been optimised to run on Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO), which is made from used cooking oil and agricultural by-products. Audi claims that running this engine on HVO can lower its carbon emissions by 95% compared to standard diesel.

FAQs

Q1) Which Audi cars will see this new diesel V6 engine?

A) It is expected that the Audi V6 diesel engine will debut with the new launches of the A6 and the Q5. 

Q2) What is HVO?

A) Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) is a synthetic diesel that’s made from renewable waste.

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