Passat TSI EcoFuel sedan concept unveiled at Bologna

Volkswagen has unveiled another variant of the Passat TSI EcoFuel, in the form of a sedan unveiled at the Bologna Motor Show. Using natural gas as the primary fuel, the vehicle’s 1.4-l TSI engine can generate 150 PS of power and 220 Nm of torque, both translate into impressive figures for a car running on natural gas. The car takes 9.7 seconds to reach the 100 kmph mark, and can go all the way to a top speed of 210kmph.

To accommodate the changes that came in with using natural gas as fuel, the valves, pistons and piston rings were reinforced and the turbocharger was made smaller. A new control module was developed to oversee the switching between modes.

The car requires about 4.38 kg of natural gas to cover 100 km, carrying the gas in stored in tanks under the vehicle floor, which can hold 22 kg of gas. A 31-liter gasoline tank is also provided, and once full, the vehicle can cover 900 km, of which 500 km can come from running on natural gas alone.
Volkswagen plans to introduce this range in the market early next year, with a six-speed manual transmission, and an optional seven-speed DSG.

Courtesy: Volkswagen