New SRT eBoost Air Attacks Turbo Lag

Stellantis is exploring a new way to make turbocharged engines respond more like the supercharged V8 engines performance fans know and love. The company’s Street and Racing Technology performance division has revealed eBoost Air, an electric compressor system designed to dramatically reduce turbo lag while still allowing engineers to use larger turbochargers capable of producing serious power.

The technology is currently paired with a prototype 3.0 liter Hurricane inline 6 high output engine. Instead of relying entirely on exhaust gases to get the turbochargers spinning, eBoost Air uses a powerful electric compressor during the critical moments when the engine is operating at lower revolutions per minute.

That addresses one of the biggest compromises associated with large turbochargers. Bigger turbos can move more air and support considerably more horsepower, but they generally require greater exhaust flow before reaching their ideal operating speed. Press the accelerator at low engine speed and there can be a noticeable delay before full boost arrives.

eBoost Air is designed to fill that gap.

The electric compressor is positioned ahead of the conventional exhaust driven turbochargers and works with an electronically controlled bypass system. When the driver demands immediate acceleration but exhaust pressure is not yet strong enough to properly spool the turbochargers, airflow is routed through the electric compressor.

The compressor quickly generates positive pressure and helps bring the turbochargers up to speed. Once sufficient exhaust energy becomes available and the conventional turbochargers can maintain the requested boost pressure themselves, airflow returns to the normal intake path.

For the driver, the complicated process happening underneath the hood should feel surprisingly simple. Press the accelerator and power should arrive almost immediately instead of building after a noticeable pause. As engine speed increases, the turbochargers take over and continue delivering strong boost higher into the rev range.

Street and Racing Technology says the resulting power delivery can more closely resemble the immediate and linear response associated with a supercharged V8 while maintaining the efficiency and power potential of turbocharging.

That comparison is particularly interesting considering the direction of Stellantis performance vehicles. The Hurricane inline 6 has already demonstrated that it can produce impressive output, and combining it with electrically assisted turbocharging could open the door to substantially more aggressive applications.

For now, Stellantis is calling eBoost Air a powertrain concept rather than confirming it for a specific production vehicle. However, Street and Racing Technology describes itself as both a performance division and an innovation incubator, meaning technologies like this can be developed and evaluated with future performance applications in mind.

The bigger story may not simply be eliminating turbo lag. eBoost Air could allow engineers to select larger turbochargers for greater peak power without accepting the sluggish low speed response normally associated with them.

If the technology reaches production, future Street and Racing Technology vehicles could combine massive turbocharged power with the immediate throttle response enthusiasts expect from traditional high performance engines.