Switzerland, Geneva

Volkswagen has unveiled its Passat Estate TSI EcoFuel concept car at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show. The EcoFuel concept’s engine can be fuelled by either natural gas or conventional petrol and comes with both a supercharger and a turbocharger which operate sequentially to provide relatively high power outputs from what is a small capacity, 1.4 litre power unit.

The natural gas is stored in a trio of tanks with a combined capacity of 22 kg mounted beneath the boot floor. This is supplemented by a 31-litre tank for conventional petrol. Between the two fuels the Passat Estate TSI EcoFuel has a theoretical range of over 490 miles.

VW says that the EcoFuel meets Euro 5 standards and offers greater economy and lower emissions than a conventional petrol. Although no figures are provided for petrol consumption the company says that in normal conditions the vehicle consumes 5.2 kg of natural gas every 62 miles. It is understood Volkswagen plans to release production vehicles before the end of 2008 (see previous NGV Global article).