BorgWarner has secured several turbocharger supply agreements with a major European OEM covering passenger car and van applications. The contracts include extensions of existing programs as well as new business awards, with production scheduled to begin in phases between Q2 2026 and Q2 2029.

“These business wins reflect BorgWarner’s strong turbocharging technology portfolio, our competitive solutions and the trust we have built with this long-standing customer,” said Dr Volker Weng, vice president of BorgWarner and president and general manager of Turbos and Thermal Technologies. “As the industry continues to demand highly efficient combustion solutions, BorgWarner remains committed to delivering advanced turbocharger technologies, reliable supply and strong launch execution for our customers around the world.”

The awarded business includes turbocharger solutions for multiple vehicle programs spanning both gasoline and diesel applications. The portfolio includes variable turbine geometry, twin-scroll wastegate and regulated two-stage turbocharging technologies tailored to a range of engine and vehicle requirements, helping the customer meet increasingly demanding performance, fuel economy and emissions targets across a broad range of applications. The products for these awards will be manufactured at BorgWarner’s facilities in Rzeszów, Poland, and Kirchheimbolanden, Germany.

The company has also secured new business with a major European commercial vehicle OEM to supply a variable turbine geometry (VTG) turbocharger and an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) cooler for a Euro 7-compliant six-cylinder heavy-duty diesel engine platform. Production is expected to begin at the end of 2028.

“We are pleased to further expand our relationship with this customer on our jointly developed turbocharger and EGR cooler business for a premium heavy-duty engine platform,” added Dr Weng. “This award reflects BorgWarner’s ability to combine advanced technology, strong application engineering and competitive solutions to support demanding commercial vehicle applications. We look forward to bringing this jointly developed solution to market.”

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Horse has begun production of its 1.3-liter, four-cylinder HR13 engine at its facility in Curitiba, Brazil. The flex fuel variant of the HR13 turbo engine has been engineered specifically for the South American market. It can run on gasoline and ethanol blends and is fully compliant with L8 emissions standards.

The powertrain delivers a peak power of 163PS (120kW), and a peak torque load of 250Nm at just 1,600rpm. The HR13 benefits from a bespoke direct injection system developed for ethanol use. Horse says that each cylinder is accompanied by a centrally mounted six-hole injector operating at 200 bar pressure, tailored for exceptional fuel atomization to deliver effortless power and torque without affecting fuel economy.

HR13 production is the result of a recent R$100m (US$17m) investment in the Curitiba facility, and will be a key output of the plant, which can produce up to 600,000 units annually across its portfolio of engines.

Wesley Palma, plant director at Horse Curitiba, said, “The start of HR13 production in Brazil demonstrates our commitment to delivering engineering and manufacturing solutions tailored to local markets.”

Patrice Haettel, CEO of Horse, added, “This move reinforces our commitment to the Brazilian market and South America. Our message has always been clear: there’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach to global mobility, but instead tailor-made solutions that reflect regional needs.”

Dodge’s Direct Connection performance parts line has launched the Hellephant A30 426 and Drag Pak 354 supercharged crate engine blocks. The brand has also introduced a trio of new supercharger kits for the 6.2-liter crate engines.

Both engine blocks will be available in various machined configurations to support custom builds through Callies Performance Products, and can be ordered through DCPerformance.com. The two engine blocks also feature all-new construction for improved strength, oiling and water jacket design.

The Hellephant A30 HEMI debuts at a suggested retail price of $8,815, with the Drag Pak 354 block available for $10,570. “Dodge is celebrating 50 years of Direct Connection by growing our performance parts offerings for enthusiasts seeking more horsepower on the strip or on the street,” said Matt McAlear, Dodge CEO, Stellantis. Direct Connection was first launched in 1974 before being reborn in 2022 as Dodge’s official source for high-performance parts straight from the factory.

The new trio of superchargers includes the 3.0L E85 supercharger kit, 2.4L supercharger replacement snout kit, and the 2.7L supercharger replacement snout kit. The 3.0L is derived from the 1,025hp 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170, and is touted as the perfect upgrade to the Redeye 6.2L supercharged HEMI crate engine.

Meanwhile, the 2.4L supercharger is from the 717hp Hellcrate 6.2L supercharged crate HEMI and the 2.7L is derived from the 807hp Hellcrate Redeye 6.2L supercharged crate HEMI engine.

As per an agreement, BorgWarner is to deliver its turbochargers for the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. The twin turbo in question is the largest passenger car turbocharger in the world.

The turbos will be coupled with GM’s 5.5-liter flat-plane crankshaft V8 engine, producing 1,064hp and 828 lb-ft of torque (1,122Nm) in the Corvette ZR1. According to BorgWarner, GM’s decision to select its twin ball-bearing turbochargers was influenced by BorgWarner’s involvement in the NTT IndyCar Series.

The turbo features a 76mm forged milled compressor wheel with ported shroud and a 67mm turbine wheel inside a mono scroll turbine housing for maximum efficiency. The turbocharger integrates an exhaust manifold with equal-length runners to amplify engine performance and sound.

“We are proud to secure this contract and support General Motors in making the most powerful Corvette ever built. This technology has been in the works for some time now and to see it come to fruition is both exciting and fulfilling,” said Dr Volker Weng, vice president of BorgWarner Inc. and president and general manager of turbos and thermal technologies.

Thanks to a compressor-mounted blade pass speed sensor, Chevrolet can monitor the turbo’s operation, helping to achieve the best performance without compromising its health.  The turbo also makes use of a patented decoupled ball-bearing system for faster response time while limiting noise transmission and maximizing durability.

Designed and manufactured in the US, these turbochargers can withstand extremely high temperatures with zero-clearance heat shielding on the turbine housing to improve thermal efficiency. The turbochargers also feature an electronically actuated wastegate system for anti-lag calibration.

In homage to NASA’s Project Gemini missions in the 1960s and the astronauts’ relationship with the Corvette, the turbochargers feature a small Gemini rocket insignia cast on the face.

Ferrari has filed patents for a novel, hybridized engine running on hydrogen and using forced induction via an electrically driven turbocharger setup.

In the patent filings, Ferrari proposes an I6 configuration, in an upside-down arrangement, though also suggests that either V6, V8 or V12 layouts could be used.

The use of H2 for fuel (with either direct or port injection covered) is a logical choice for a manufacturer that has expressed a wish to retain ICE for as long as possible. However, the choice of engine layout is certainly unconventional, and the forced induction system clearly draws on its experience in motorsport.

Packaging H2 tanks

It would appear that the inverted arrangement is to enable packaging of the induction system and also a pair of hydrogen tanks (hence the I6 layout, which reduces the transverse width of the engine).

The forced induction system comprises two compressors and two turbines, which are not mechanically connected. The compressors are joined coaxially by a single electric motor, orientated above the engine, while the turbines are situated below the engine, side by side, with a geared drive to a second electric motor.

Also suggested is an option where separate motors are used for the two compressors. This layout has the extra complication of the compressors being mechanically linked to the ICE via the transmission with no exhaust turbine or electric motors. The patent says:

“This embodiment is energetically somewhat less efficient (not recovering some of the energy from the exhaust gases through the turbine unit 42) but is lighter, more compact and simpler by eliminating the electrical part altogether (in fact, neither the electric generator 54 of the turbine unit 42 nor the electric motor 50 of the compressor unit 37 are present).”

The patent also describes a front mounted MGU (motor generator unit) driving the front axle.

Of course, manufacturers file speculative patents all of the time, but Ferrari’s latest certainly shows that considerable thought has been put into the packaging challenges of an H2 ICE in a high-performance road car.

The full patent can be found here.

Accelleron, a specialist in heavy-duty turbocharging for diesel and gas engines, has entered into a partnership with Switzerland-based engineering and technology specialist, Sauber Group.

The partnership will focus on technical collaboration between Accelleron and Sauber Technologies, and Accelleron also becomes an official partner of the Sauber-operated Alfa Romeo F1 Team Orlen in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship.

According to the parties, the collaboration will see the exchange of ideas, technicians and innovations across both teams. Accelleron and Sauber Technologies will work on five joint projects in areas including computational fluid dynamics, where aerodynamic expertise developed by Sauber can be used to optimize turbine blade design to improve airflow and separation, further enhancing the efficiency of future turbine designs for Accelleron. Other areas of collaboration include additive manufacturing techniques and research into applications for advanced material technology used in F1 that may be adapted for use in turbocharging applications.

Oliver Riemenschneider, CEO of Accelleron, commented, “As we enter a new phase in our business, I’m proud that our recently launched Accelleron brand will be carried by the Alfa Romeo F1 Team Orlen cars and drivers as a symbol of our new technology partnership. This positions Accelleron at the heart of the most technologically advanced sport in the world, and will showcase our name to a massive global audience. We are bringing together two icons of Swiss technology and innovation as engineers working in these different environments face similar challenges: a drive toward sustainability, the need for reliability at the technical limit, and a constant pressure to innovate. This is a collaboration that will focus on the exchange of intelligence, experience and insight to enable the transfer of progress and innovation from one high-performance sector to another.”

Jan Monchaux, Alfa Romeo F1 Team Orlen technical director added, “Formula 1 is often described as a high-speed laboratory, and a lot of the innovation in this most technologically advanced motorsport category can be used across other applications, including the drive for sustainability, that are integral to society’s ongoing success. This partnership with Accelleron will allow both of our skilled teams to work together to improve the flow of innovation from the racetrack into the real world. This is an exciting development and one that has the power to make a difference across multiple touchpoints.”

PMD Automotive has agreed to form an innovation alliance with Hansen Engine Corporation. The two companies will look to bring an innovative supercharger to market through the commercial application, development and production agreement.

The partners work will also include adapting the Hansen Variable Displacement Supercharger and engine control system to the Chevrolet Camaros equipped with a GM 3.6-liter V6 engine.

“PMD Automotive is extremely excited to have been chosen by Hansen Engine Corporation to be a partner in delivering this new boost technology,” said Dave Nunnelley, president of PMD Automotive, LLC. “Having been involved in engine R&D for more than 40 years, it is rare that we find an innovation that is so well-thought out and performs as claimed.”

Eaton has revealed that its Twin Vortices Series (TVS) R2650 supercharger technology will feature on the Ford Performance-tuned, 5.2-liter V8 engine that powers the all-new 2020 Shelby GT500.

An evolution of the TVS platform, the Eaton TVS R2650 supercharger is equipped with a patented rotor coating for improved efficiency. The high-twist, four-lobe rotor design is 15% larger than the TVS 2300 supercharger found on the previous Shelby GT500 and features several efficiency and performance improvements.

To help deliver the performance required, the Eaton technology has a 170° helical twist of its rotors, which is 10° greater than previous TVS rotors. Other upgrades include bearing plate pressure relief points that reduce trapped volume pressure and optimized sealing for better flow efficiency.

In GT500 application, the TVS R2650 provides up to 12psi of boost, helping the eight-cylinder engine to produce 777ps and 847Nm of torque.

“We are proud to collaborate with Ford Performance to help it produce the most powerful Mustang ever,” said Karl Sieversten, chief technology officer at Eaton’s Vehicle Group. “As the world leader in supercharger production, we are committed to innovation that helps our customers achieve the best possible performance.”

Audi has unveiled its new RS 7. Equipped with a 4-liter TFSI, the sportback will produce peak power of 600ps and 800Nm of torque within a broad range from 2,050 to 4,500rpm. This means the RS 7 will hit 100 km/h in 3.6 seconds, and reach an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h.

Thanks to a mild hybrid system with a 48V main on-board electrical system, the RS 7 combines performance with efficiency. The belt alternator starter can recover up to 12 kW power under gentle acceleration and feed it into a lithium-ion battery as electricity.

If the driver releases the accelerator at a speed between 55 and 160km/h the drive management will either recover energy or coast with the engine switched off. When the accelerator is pressed again, the belt alternator starter will restart the engine. The MHEV-technology reduces fuel consumption by up to 0.8l/100km.

The RS 7 is also equipped with Audi’s cylinder on demand (COD) system. In higher gears at low to medium loads and engine speeds, it will deactivate cylinders 2, 3, 5, and 8 by halting injection and ignition and closing the intake and exhaust valves.

In four-cylinder mode, the operating points will switch to the active cylinders at higher loads, thereby improving efficiency, while the deactivated cylinders continue to run like gas springs, largely without any losses.

Audi’s eight-cylinder unit is paired with an eight-speed tiptronic transmission with optimized shift times and a new launch control function. Drive forces are distributed to the front and rear axles in a 40:60 ratio via the mechanical center differential.

Fiat’s performance sub-brand, Abarth, has expanded the 595 range with the addition of the 595 Pista. Equipped with a new Garrett turbocharger, the 1.4-liter four-cylinder now generates peak power of 167ps.

The oversized Garrett turbocharger, with geometric compression ratio reduced from 9.8:1 to 9:1, optimizes temperature in the combustion chamber at equal pressure. This allows peak torque of 230Nm to be achieved at just 2,250rpm.

The 595 Pista also features a ‘Sport’ button, which adjusts peak torque output, power steering settings and the throttle response. The braking system is also enhanced with ventilated 284mm discs on the front and 240mm discs on the rear.