Purists will argue that naturally aspirated engines are the gold standard. But, supercharged engines approximate the responsive feel in the lower RPM ranges of a naturally aspirated vehicle, and turbo technology has also improved. Then, of course, there’s also the electric motor, which generates instant torque. But, which is best between these technologies?
Turbocharged Vehicles
Turbocharged vehicles use forced induction in order to increase an engine’s horsepower figures. The great thing about a turbo is that it increases an engine’s torque and horsepower and allows the engine to perform more efficiently at higher altitudes.
Turbochargers are very convenient for aircraft engines because, at higher altitudes, the air is less dense. Now, if there’s less air at higher altitudes, the engine will have difficulty sucking in the necessary air for adequate combustion. This causes an engine to lose power as the altitude climbs, but with a turbocharger, an engine can compress the available air and continue to produce adequate power at all altitudes.
This is especially awesome because turbochargers work using the exhaust gases from the engine, and these gases would otherwise be lost. Automakers are turbocharging vehicles left and right, mostly due to efficiency requirements. In theory, turbocharging a smaller engine produces power comparable to an engine with more displacement, but it’s supposed to be more fuel efficient. Of course, fitting a turbocharged engine to a huge SUV can only help fuel economy so much. If the vehicle is supremely heavy, the smaller engine will still gobble fuel trying to move the gargantuan vehicle.
A downside to turbochargers is turbo lag. Turbo lag is exactly what it sounds like. Due to how turbos work, lag can be present during the parts of the rev range where the turbo hasn’t properly spooled yet. Manufacturers have worked on this problem over the years and developed many fixes. Among these fixes is the use of twin turbos, which help with turbo lag either through a combination of smaller turbos or one small one and a larger one working together. Another advantage of turbocharging your car is that you can get big performance for a relatively low price.
Supercharged Engine
Superchargers have various advantages, as well as some disadvantages when compared to turbochargers. First things first, there are different kinds of superchargers. Some superchargers are centrifugal, and they look mostly like a regular turbo. This kind of supercharger is belt driven, but unlike other superchargers, it is subject to lag because the turbine that compresses the air needs to be spooled to high RPMs, just like a turbo. Another supercharger type is the roots type, which is also powered by the car’s accessory belt. This supercharger doesn’t fall victim to lag.
The reason the roots-type supercharger is lag-free is due to the fact that air is fed into the engine at a fixed volume for each revolution of the blower’s interconnected lobes. This means that the responsiveness of the engine will be much more similar to a naturally aspirated vehicle, especially when compared to a turbocharged vehicle or even a centrifugal-supercharged car.
Because this type of supercharger always delivers the same amount of air volume for each revolution, the way to increase the amount of boost would be to increase the revolutions. This is done through upgraded pulleys. If you’ve ever heard a discussion about supercharger performance, you’ve probably heard about upgrading the supercharger’s pulleys to generate more power.
This is done by changing out the pulley that drives the supercharger for a smaller unit, which will spin more times for each revolution of the crankshaft pulley. It’s also possible to upgrade the crankshaft pulley for an even more drastic ratio. The result of these upgrades is that the supercharger will spin more times for each revolution of the crankshaft pulley, enabling more air to be compressed into the engine. Roots-type superchargers also feature intercoolers that help cool the air before it goes into the engine.
The roots-type supercharger pushes more air into the intake, and this causes the air to become compressed, helping performance. Even though some superchargers help fight lag compared to turbos, the downside is that they aren’t as efficient. They aren’t as efficient as a turbo because turbos use the exhaust gases from an engine, but superchargers actively rob engine power to move. This is counterproductive in terms of efficiency.
Electric Motors
Superchargers have less lag than turbos, and electric motors are the undisputed kings of torque delivery. Electric motors can generate their torque instantly, so you’ll immediately feel a huge kick when accelerating these vehicles. It truly is mind-boggling how quick these vehicles accelerate
If you’ve never been in an electric car, you need to go out and experience how ridiculously quick these rides are. Vehicles like the Teslas Model S Plaid feature three electric motors, which deliver devastatingly brutal power. Unfortunately, even though superchargers and turbochargers can increase power, the internal combustion engine is limited by its design.
The fact that the ICE engine has so many moving parts that need to get up to speed to propel the vehicle forward is a hindrance when compared to EV performance cars. However, this instant power is one of the many advantages of owning an EV.
EV Instant Torque Rules Supreme
No matter how good a supercharged or turbocharged engine is, there’s no competition when it’s compared to an electric vehicle’s instant torque. As EVs continue to evolve, don’t be shocked to see more and more EVs displacing performance vehicles in different events.
EVs are already taking over drag strips and beating internal combustion vehicles easily. It shouldn’t surprise anyone to see EVs begin dominating other events, like endurance races, once battery technology improves.
