A 2.0L Volvo engine with 450bhp

Volvo has introduced a 2.0L four cylinder Drive-E Powertrain petrol engine with triple boost technology which is a concept. So what you ask? If it’s put into production, the engine from Volvo will be the most powerful 2.0L engine in the world as Volvo will not accept anything less than 450bhp.

AMG had made a 2.0L engine for their CLA 45 AMG which made 355bhp, it was only a matter of time until someone else did one better. But what’s surprising is that it came from Volvo and they managed another 95 horses from theirs.

With an aim to deliver the most advanced 4-cylinder engines in the industry based on emissions and fuel consumption relative to performance and drivability their Drive-E 320 hp petrol engine was just a starting point said Dr. Peter Mertens, Senior Vice President for R&D at Volvo Car Group. He concluded by saying compact powertrains free up space and weight in the structure of the car, which can be used for electrification and even further emissions reduction, which is Volvos ultimate ambition.

How it works is, the engine is fitted with two parallel turbo chargers and are fed by an electronically powered turbo-compressor. The compressed air from the compressor doesn’t feed into the cylinders but instead used to spool up the two turbo. Fuel is fed by a dual fuel pump working at 250 bar pressure. This enables a very dynamic drivability without any turbo lag, compared to a mono-turbo.

Its compact size improves weight distribution between the front and rear axle and lowers the center of gravity - two factors that have a significant effect on the handling, whether it is a race car or a street car,” said Mattias Evensson, Race Engine Director at Volvo Polestar Racing.