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CPT Develops Torque-Boosting Electric Supercharger

In order to reduce fuel economy and emissions, automakers are resorting to

Think of the idea as an electric supercharger. (Photo: Jaguar)

downsizing engine sizes. To meet performance expectations, many of these companies are boosting these smaller displacement engines with forced aspiration. Controlled Power Technologies, a venture capital firm, has just introduced a new technology which could significantly help auto manufacturers with this process.

The system, called VTES, short for Variable Torque Enhancement System, operates on the principle of a supercharger, but it is driven by electricity rather than friction. It's designed to operate at low engine speeds to deliver more air to the engine, improving low-speed performance and torque.

One application where the system could be particularly useful is with diesel engines. The quick boost of air would help get a vehicle up and running, allowing the physical size of the diesel engine to be reduced, as well as the

Without belts or pulleys, VTES takes no engine power to run, but just a 12-volt power supply. Pictured is a rotor from the Corvette ZR1's supercharger. (Photo: Chevrolet)

particulate filter. This would dramatically help to reduce costs associated with producing clean diesel vehicles, while making them even cleaner.

On the flip side, this device can also double as a generator. When it isn't driving the engine, the airflow through it can be used to recapture energy which could be particularly handy in hybrid vehicles. CPT is looking into creating a 240-volt version for use in fuel cell vehicles.

A particularly interesting point is that this system is small, being described as “plug and play”, meaning that it wouldn't require substantial re-engineering of a given powertrain in order to incorporate. With fully-integrated electronics, it's a simple matter of attaching the system and hooking it up to the vehicle's existing 12-volt supply.

Apparently three automakers are interested in CPT's device - this may be a vital component in engine downsizing.

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