Turbocharger - Business and Adoption

Business and Adoption

Garrett (By Honeywell) and BorgWarner are the largest manufacturers in Europe and the US. Several factors are expected to contribute to more widespread consumer adoption of turbochargers, especially in the US:

• New government fuel economy and emissions targets.
• Increasing oil prices and a consumer focus on fuel efficiency.
• Only 10 percent of light vehicles sold in the US are equipped with turbochargers, making the United States an emerging market, compared to 50 percent of vehicles in Europe that are turbo diesel and 27 percent that are gasoline boosted.
• Higher temperature tolerances for gasoline engines, ball bearings in the turbine shaft and variable geometry have reduced driveability concerns.

By 2016, 40 percent of light vehicles sold in the U.S. are expected to be turbocharged. In Europe about 65 percent of vehicles are turbocharged, which is expected to grow to 85 percent by 2015. Historically, more than 90 percent of turbochargers were diesel, however, adoption in gasoline engines is increasing. Honeywell projects the number of turbochargers in passenger vehicles in the U.S. to more than double to 23 percent by 2016.

The US Coalition for Advanced Diesel Cars is pushing for a technology neutral policy for government subsidies of environmentally friendly automotive technology. If successful, government subsidies would be based on the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards rather than supporting specific technologies like electric cars. Political shifts could drastically change adoption projections. Turbocharger sales in the United States increased when the federal government boosted corporate average fuel economy targets to 35.5 mpg by 2016.