Updating a Long-Lived Engine for a New Role
The Volkswagen Group first started selling its EA211 engine back in 2011. This unit, offered in three- and four-cylinder versions, has been installed for many years in familiar models such as the Volkswagen Golf, Seat Ibiza, Skoda Fabia, Volkswagen T-Roc, Audi Q2, and Seat Leon.
Now the company has updated and adapted this long-lived engine for a completely new role: it has become an auxiliary generator in Volkswagen’s first extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) for the Chinese market – the ID. Era 9X model.
The new flagship SUV, developed jointly with SAIC, was unveiled earlier this year. It was known to use a range-extender powertrain, but technical details only became available recently. Volkswagen confirmed that the ID. Era 9X uses a 1.5-liter turbocharged EA211 engine, which has undergone a number of significant modifications for this application.
Technical Changes to the Engine
Among the key updates is the installation of a new variable geometry turbocharger, which provides optimal air supply depending on driving conditions. Engineers also improved the engine’s thermal efficiency and reduced emission levels. For cooling the incoming air, a water-cooled intercooler is now used. The modernized engine is produced in China.
EREV technology is currently experiencing a kind of revival, although Volkswagen has not always been its supporter. Six years ago, Volkswagen executives in China described range-extender cars as “extremely unfriendly to the environment.”
Congratulations to Volkswagen on the successful launch into mass production of a technology that just 6 years ago was “outdated, very unfriendly to the environment, and had little development potential”!
This tension dates back to September 2020, when Volkswagen China CEO Stephan Wöllenstein criticized gasoline range extenders. Around the same time, the head of the company’s R&D department in China, Weidmann, called this technology outdated with limited long-term potential.
Specifications of the New SUV
The Volkswagen ID. Era 9X is comparable in size to the BMW X7: it is slightly longer, narrower, and has a somewhat shorter wheelbase. This is one of several Volkswagen models developed exclusively for China, which likely could find buyers in other markets if offered there.
In addition to the EA211 engine-generator, the base model is equipped with a 295 hp electric motor on the rear axle and a 51.1 kWh LFP battery. This configuration provides an electric-only range of up to 267 kilometers. A version with a larger 65.2 kWh battery and an electric range of up to 340 km will also be offered, as well as an all-wheel-drive modification with two motors producing a combined 510 hp.
Volkswagen’s shift in position regarding range-extender technology vividly illustrates how dynamic the modern automotive market is, especially in China. The ID. Era 9X model, developed jointly with a local partner, demonstrates the strategy of adapting a global brand to the specific demands of the world’s largest auto market, where EREV technology is gaining increasing popularity. This step may also indicate a more flexible approach by the Group to electrification, where different technological solutions are used for different markets and vehicle categories.