Turbocharging
Vehicle manufacturers are adding energy-efficient technologies such as turbochargers to their products to meet Canada’s increasingly stringent greenhouse gas emission standards for light-duty vehicles.
Using a smaller, turbocharged engine can lower fuel consumption by 2 to 6%. This saves you money and reduces your impact on the environment.
Turbochargers boost the power of smaller engines
Turbochargers force air into an engine’s cylinders – unlike a standard engine, which draws air in at atmospheric pressure. This means that a smaller, turbocharged engine can produce the same power as a larger standard engine.
Turbochargers use the otherwise wasted energy from the exhaust to drive a turbine that is attached to a compressor.
The compressor forces air into the cylinders of the engine. This provides two benefits. First, more air and fuel means a larger combustion reaction and more power. Second, the pistons have less work to do pulling the air-fuel mixture into the combustion chamber.
How much a turbocharger can save
Over 10 years, a turbocharger can save you $240 to $1,680 in fuel costs and lower your carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 550 to 3,860 kg. At the high end, this is equivalent to
- three quarters of an Olympic-sized swimming pool of CO2
- removing a mid-size car from Canadian roads for one year
- nearly 20% of our annual per capita emissions in Canada, which is 22.1 tonnes
Fuel consumption | 10-year savings* | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Average (L/100 km) |
With a 2% reduction (L/100 km) |
With a 6% reduction (L/100 km) |
Fuel cost savings | CO2 reduction |
14.0 | 13.72 | 13.16 | $560 to $1,680 | 1,290 to 3,860 kg |
12.0 | 11.76 | 11.28 | $480 to $1,440 | 1,100 to 3,310 kg |
10.0 | 9.8 | 9.4 | $400 to $1,200 | 920 to 2,760 kg |
8.0 | 7.84 | 7.52 | $320 to $960 | 740 to 2,210 kg |
6.0 | 5.88 | 5.64 | $240 to $720 | 550 to 1,660 kg |
*Based on an annual driving distance of 20,000 km, a fuel price of $1.00/L and a CO2 emissions factor of 2.3 kg/L of gasoline.
Be a knowledgeable buyer
Research before you buy. Estimate how much fuel your vehicle will consume over its lifetime.
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