Volkswagen Shows the Future of Clean Vehicles at Sustainability Summit

Anthony Fontanelle
February 12, 2007

At the Designing Sustainable Mobility Summit, Volkswagen showcased their lineup of clean cars. The summit is being held at the Art Center College of Design which is located in Southern California. The conference facilitates the sharing of ideas of transportation experts and designers on the development of technology that will make future car designs friendlier to the environment.

At the said event Volkswagen of America offers those in attendance the chance to experience the present technology being developed by the car manufacturer. Among the cars that attendees will have the chance to drive is a car that runs on biodiesel or a combination of biodiesel and ultra low sulfur diesel fuel. A car that runs on hydrogen will also be present along with those cars that are equipped with highly efficient gasoline engines.

The car maker’s goal in letting the participants of the summit drive the said cars is to emphasize that the use of alternative fuel is not just applicable in theory. Volkswagen aims to show that the technology is already present and it is working already. It is just a matter of time before cars such as the ones showcased will start rolling out of their assembly plants for use of the anticipating public. “It’s important to demonstrate that raising the bar in such important areas as fuel efficiency and emission reduction isn’t just accomplished with exotic or future-oriented technologies,” Ron Cogan said. Cogan is the editor and publisher of the Green Car Journal, the host of the summit’s ride-and-drive segment. “Volkswagen’s demonstration of its clean diesel and twin charger engines provides real-world examples of environmentally positive technologies that are opening on highways today,” he further adds.

During the event, Volkswagen will be offering their Touareg V-10 TDI engine which runs on B5 biodiesel. The fuel is a mixture of conventional ultra low sulfur diesel fuel and biodiesel. The combination provides power for the engine while releasing only a small amount of harmful gas in its exhaust. In connection with the development of Volkswagen of their vehicles that run on biodiesel, they are offering an extended warranty to further promote the use of biodiesel. Their effort to produce vehicles which run on alternative fuel helps in the preservation of the world’s fossil fuel reserves. The Touareg will be available for the summit’s attendees to drive on public roads. Such would be done so as to show how well a car running on alternative fuel performs.

Also present in the event and available for participants to drive is Volkswagen’s highly efficient twin charger engine that is currently being developed by the car maker. The powerplant provides great power packed in a relatively small engine. The high level of power being produced by the engine is due to its use of a supercharger and a turbocharger system. The engine’s supercharger aids the engine during low rpm ratings while the turbocharger kicks in at mid-range revs per minute and higher. The said engine is already being used in Europe and has received much praise for its gas mileage rating. The car manufacturer is considering introducing the engine in the United States market. The engine’s performance can also be complemented with high quality parts like EBC Redstuff brake pads.

Volkswagen’s Touran HyMotion hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicle will also be showcased. The Touran is a concrete example of Volkswagen’s dedication in the development of zero emission vehicles. For almost ten years now, the car maker has exerted efforts in the development of practical hydrogen fuel cells that can be used for mass produced vehicles. The Touran uses high-temperature fuel cells that are compact, light and very durable. The development of such hydrogen fuel cells can cut down the manufacturing cost which will make mass production possible and practical.

Source: Amazines.com