SRT's eBoost Air Tech Promises V-8 Power from a Six-Cylinder Engine
A big chunk of this job is exactly what it looks like: playing with cars. I’m happiest when the work involves affordable sporty hatchbacks, expensive sports cars, manual transmissions, or any technology that requires I learn something to understand how it works, but I’m not picky. If it moves under its own power, I’ll drive it. Read More Share
Stellantis' SRT performance division is actively developing an innovative powertrain technology known as eBoost Air, designed to imbue a twin-turbo inline-six engine with the rapid response and linear power delivery characteristic of a supercharged V-8, specifically aiming to emulate the sensation of a Hellcat engine. This advanced system leverages an electric supercharger to effectively mitigate turbo lag by generating boost pressure instantaneously from a standstill and during passing maneuvers, precisely when conventional turbochargers are still in the process of spooling up.
While the electric supercharger itself does not inherently augment an engine's peak power output, its crucial role lies in significantly enhancing low-end responsiveness. This improvement provides engineers with the flexibility to optimize engine tuning and size turbochargers for considerably higher overall output, without the traditional compromise of low-RPM performance. A working prototype of the eBoost Air system has been successfully integrated into a Hurricane 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline-six engine, installed within a Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Remarkably, this prototype, utilizing the stock turbochargers, demonstrated a substantial increase in performance. Output climbed from the original 550 horsepower and 531 lb-ft of torque to an impressive 620 horsepower and 600 lb-ft. This power gain was achieved primarily through engine recalibration and strengthening of the driveline, highlighting the effectiveness of the eBoost Air system in optimizing existing hardware. The system's ability to minimize turbo lag is evident in its capacity to deliver 10 psi of boost to the intake manifold within a mere 0.65 seconds of the driver fully engaging the accelerator, a stark contrast to the several seconds required for conventional twin turbos to reach optimal speed and take over boost provision.
SRT refers to eBoost Air as an electric turbocharger, though technically, it functions as an electric supercharger. This distinction is important: an electric supercharger, as in the eBoost Air system, employs an electrically driven compressor that operates entirely independently of the exhaust-driven turbos. In contrast, electric turbos, seen in some production cars from Porsche and Mercedes, incorporate an electric motor directly into a conventional turbo unit. Volvo and Mercedes have also previously featured production vehicles equipped with electric superchargers.
The development of eBoost Air from an initial concept to a functional prototype was achieved in an exceptionally short timeframe of just seven weeks. Joel Baker, Vice President of Propulsion Engineering at Stellantis, indicated that significant work remains to further refine the technology. The current concept for the compressor's power supply involves a 1-amp-hour, 48-volt battery, which is recharged via a DC-to-DC converter and an upsized 12-volt alternator. Baker's team is actively exploring alternative energy storage solutions, including non-battery options such as capacitors, to enhance the system's efficiency and practicality.
Looking ahead, Baker also suggested a logical progression for eBoost Air would be its integration into the Hurricane 2.0-liter turbo inline-four engine. While Stellantis has not yet announced concrete plans for the production of eBoost Air, the company's public discussion of a technology developed just weeks prior suggests its potential is being taken seriously, moving it beyond a mere