Stellantis Scores Patent for Clever Electric Turbo Trick

Stellantis (FCA US, LLC) has recently been granted an innovative electric turbocharger system patent. This new technology is designed to tackle a persistent challenge in the automotive world: reducing emissions during cold starts. 

When you first start your car on a chilly morning, there is a brief period when it does not run as cleanly as it could. That’s because the catalytic converter, the key component responsible for cleaning exhaust gases, must be hot to work effectively. Typically, the converter takes a few minutes of driving to reach its optimal temperature.

Here’s where Stellantis’ clever idea comes in. In most turbocharged engines, hot exhaust gases pass through the turbocharger before reaching the catalytic converter. While this spools up the turbo, it also cools down the exhaust, slowing the warm-up of the catalytic converter.

Stellantis’ patented system uses an electric turbocharger in a unique way to solve this problem. When you start the car, the system actually commands the electric turbo to spin backwards. This unusual move effectively blocks exhaust from flowing through the turbocharger at all. Instead, all of that hot exhaust is directed through a bypass valve (called a wastegate) and sent straight to the catalytic converter.

The result? The catalytic converter heats up much faster, reaching its effective operating temperature in less time. This means the car starts cleaning its exhaust more quickly, reducing overall emissions during those crucial first minutes of operation.

But the system doesn’t stop there. It continuously monitors the temperature of the exhaust treatment system. Once everything is warmed up and working efficiently, it switches the electric turbocharger back to its normal operation, spinning forward to provide the engine with its usual performance boost.

The patent also describes some additional clever features:

• Opening a compressor bypass valve ensures the engine gets enough air while the turbo spins backward.
• Checking oil pressure before engaging the reverse turbo spin to protect the engine. 
• Using various engine parameters like exhaust flow rate and engine speed to fine-tune the system’s operation.

This innovation showcases how automakers like Stellantis are getting creative in their efforts to meet increasingly strict emissions regulations. By leveraging the unique capabilities of electric turbochargers, they’ve found a way to address a specific emissions challenge without compromising on engine performance or efficiency.

As we move towards a future with tighter environmental standards, expect to see more of these clever engineering solutions. They might not be obvious to the average driver, but technologies like this electric turbo trick play a crucial role in making our vehicles cleaner and more efficient.

For Stellantis, this patent represents another step in their commitment to improving their vehicles’ environmental performance.

Source: USPTO