Currently reading: Hybrid Air confirmed in new Peugeot engine range

Three-cylinder turbocharged petrol and super-clean diesel engine to launch at the Geneva motor show alongside radical hybrid tech

Peugeot is planning to launch a number of new drivetrains including a three-cylinder turbocharged petrol and a super clean diesel. The French car maker has also announced that its innovative Hybrid Air technology will go on sale within three years.

The Hybrid Air system, which uses compressed air to assist or take over from a three-cylinder internal combustion engine, will first appear on the Peugeot 2008 in 2016, before being rolled out to B and C segment commercial vehicles from Peugeot and Citroën. Cars using the system can run on compressed air only for a short amount of time.

Peugeot has revealed its plug-in hybrid range in Paris - take a look

PSA Peugeot-Citroën had originally said it would use the technology when it was convinced customers would adopt it, with it technically being production-ready from 2015. a Hybrid Air drivetrain could allow a car the size of a Citroën C3 or Peugeot 208 to emit as little as 69g/km of CO2.

Away from Hybrid Air, the firm's new range of engines will be offered first on the new 108, which will make its world debut at the Geneva motor show next month. At launch, it will come with of choice of three, normally aspirated, three-cylinder petrol engines, with the 1.0-litre, 68bhp e-VTi rated at just 88g/km CO2. Another 68bhp version is good for 97g/km and 95g/km when coupled with an automated manual box. The biggest engine is an 82bhp 1.2-litre, 99g/km unit.

The most potent unit is a new 128bhp turbocharged version of the 1.2-litre engine, which offers 170lb ft of torque from just 1750rpm while also offering some 95 per cent of torque between 1500-3500rpm.

The new 108 city car goes on sale in July, and will again be produced alongside its Toyota and Citroën counterparts in the Czech Republic. The trio are likely to share the same engines. 

A new BlueHDi diesel engine will also be fitted to Peugeot 308 and Peugeot 508 models. The unit has Selective Catalytic Reduction and a particle filter which reduce NoX emissions by ‘up to 90 per cent’, as well as getting rid of 99.9 per cent of particulates. 

Read more Geneva motor show news.

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Flatus senex 17 February 2014

It will be a pressure vessel

There must be some implications regarding the requirement for periodic testing of pressure vessels.
Einarbb 17 February 2014

Is that air system really worth a damn?

No way that there is a net energy gain. Compressing energy costs energy. However I guess it's ways lighter than electric hybrid systems. And this allows the car to pass through the official tests. At very low pollution ratings. Hence what emerges is perhaps a more cost effective vehicle for Joe the average, i.e. lower purchase price yet low tax rating. As the vehicle is carrying less weight the petrol or diesel is less burdened than an electric hybrid by extra weight. Hence perhaps superior real world economy.
artill 17 February 2014

Einarbb wrote:No way that

Einarbb wrote:

No way that there is a net energy gain. Compressing energy costs energy. However I guess it's ways lighter than electric hybrid systems. And this allows the car to pass through the official tests. At very low pollution ratings. Hence what emerges is perhaps a more cost effective vehicle for Joe the average, i.e. lower purchase price yet low tax rating. As the vehicle is carrying less weight the petrol or diesel is less burdened than an electric hybrid by extra weight. Hence perhaps superior real world economy.

The system works by using energy normally scrubbed off by the brakes, and instead using it to compress air, which in turn is released to assist the car when accelerating so it uses less petrol or diesel for any given performance. You are right there is no net gain, but its a far more efficient use of fuel. Furthermore there will be no worries about batteries lifespan etc. I am looking forward to this getting into production

LP in Brighton 18 February 2014

Less efficient than an electric hybrid

I've seen figures somewhere which suggest that the energy recovery with a compressed air hybrid is typically no better than about 50^, compared with around 90% with a battery hybrid. But of course, Peugeot's compressed air system may well be a lot lighter, so it's not without merit. What I don't get is that the Japanese only claim around a 10-15% efficiency benefit with their systems (much of the Prius' low fuel consumption comes from its Atkinson cycle engine and low drag body), so I don't see how Peugeot can better this?
gazza5 17 February 2014

3 cylinder engines

We have just ordered a 2008 with the 1.2 engine in it. No one actually knows when the new 3 cylinder engines are going to appear in cars such as the 2008 (the turbo versions).

Peugeot at the moment (according to our dealer) are rolling out the three cylinder engines in the newest cars such as the 308 and also the 108. Allegedly they are worried they cannot build enough to satisfy demand for the 3 cylinder engines across the whole range.

May just be dealer talk - but some have said in 2015 it will be launched in cars such as the 2008 (this is turbo only as the 2008 already has the 1.2 3 cylinder version 82).