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At the 24-Hour Race
on the Nürburgring on 23/24 May, Volkswagen will field two Scirocco cars
with innovative natural gas engines. Following the historic one-two
victory at the Dakar Rally in January, which Volkswagen won as the first
automobile manufacturer using diesel technology in the event, the
Wolfsburg brand is now taking on another technical challenge – the use
of EcoFuel engines in the endurance test twice around the clock on the
world’s most demanding race track.
The two Scirocco
GT24-CNG 2.0-litre turbo engines powered by natural gas deliver nearly
300 hp. In addition, the “factory” team will field three further Scirocco GT24 cars powered by 2.0-litre turbo petrol engines in the
classic endurance race at the “Green Hell” in the Eifel region in
Western Germany.
Engine technology: innovative and
proven systems for the circuit marathon
For this acid test on the challenging Nordschleife, Volkswagen developed
a CNG (compressed natural gas) version based on the 2.0-litre petrol
engine that was victorious last year. The engineers primarily focused on
the fuel induction system of the unit equipped with a turbocharger as
well as on the balance between maximum exhaust gas temperature and full
usage of the turbocharger’s potential in order to optimise both
driveability and power output. The result: just under 300 hp and 350 Nm
of torque which continue to be transmitted to the front wheels via a
six-speed DSG gearbox operated by paddle shifters on the steering wheel.
Natural gas as an efficient and clean
source of power
The new generation of natural gas turbo engines takes full advantage of
the high anti-knock quality of approx. 130 octane offered by natural gas
fuel. This enables natural gas vehicles to achieve a level of driving
dynamics unrivalled by any other alternative powertrain system.
Furthermore, natural gas as a fuel is particularly eco-friendly as well
as very cost-effective.
On average, natural
gas vehicles reduce CO2 emissions by 25 per cent compared with
conventional spark ignition engines. The combustion process generates
almost no particulate matter or fine dust.
Scirocco news provided by
Scirocco Forum
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