Volkswagen sets emissions goal for 2018

Volkswagen AG has set the goal of becoming the world's most sustainable carmaker by the year 2018.

Compared to baseline figures for 2010, the Group wants to reduce energy and water consumption, waste generation and emissions (including CO₂emissions) by 25 per cent in all of its business areas.

Volkswagen – the highest volume brand of the Volkswagen Group – is counting on electric mobility (zero-emission and plug-in hybrid models), continually more fuel-efficient combustion engines and gearboxes, progressive lightweight design, pioneering aerodynamics and efficiency each making a significant contribution.

VW’s latest start-stop 2.0 system not only deactivate the engine when the car is stationary at a red light; rather it already deactivates the engine at speeds below 7 km/h.

When coasting with engine off (thanks to a special coasting function), the engine is also shut off at higher speeds as soon as the driver releases the accelerator pedal. This can significantly improve fuel economy when the driver adopts an anticipatory style of driving.

In addition, mild hybrid systems developed by Volkswagen enable energy recovery in braking phases; productive use of this energy results in further fuel economy benefits. The engine is always restarted with benefit.

                                             High-performance engines

New high-tech engines such as the 240 PS bi-turbo diesel of the new Passat also make saving a pleasure. With a power density of 120 PS/litre the engine is the most powerful of any four-cylinder TDI ever put into production. The fuel consumption of the saloon – which has a top speed of 149mile/h – is a low 53.3 mile/gal.

An intelligent and advanced development of this TDI might take the following form: the power of the 2-litre engine could be increased to 272 PS (136PS/litre) by the use of a variable valve train, further optimised gas exchange cycles and what VW describes as an electric booster.

In a further development, since the first Volkswagen dual-clutch gearbox was introduced (2003), the DSG has developed into an international success.

The reasons are twofold: no other automatic shifts faster and no other automatic operates more fuel-efficiently, according to the company. Now Volkswagen has evolved a newly-developed 10-speed DSG for engines with up to 550 Nm of torque.

The highly efficient layout of its gear steps contributes towards further lowering of CO₂ emissions.

                                                 Sandwich composite

In another development, as Volkswagen edges closer to its 2018 goals – the company has just adapted a sandwich construction method – two steel cover layers and a middle polymer-thermoplastic layer – from low-volume to high-volume production.

A similar technology has been used for some years in other quarters where it is known as MPM material (metal-plastic-metal), mainly for engine sumps, for example, as a sound-deadening device to reduce NVH.

The "technology donor" in VW’s case is the street version of the Polo R WRC (in 2014, Volkswagen won the rally world championship for the second consecutive time with the racing version of this car).

Other new systems include an extremely thin oxide film that is vapour deposited on the low-E glass sunroof, making it infrared-reflecting, a dashboard that also reflects infrared light (both developments reduce the cooling load of the air conditioning system, a range manager for electric vehicles (for optimal use of the energy stored in the battery) and a need-based and efficient air conditioning (also for zero emission models such as the e-up! and e-Golf). Such are equally important in the battle to ensure that fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions are further reduced.