Turbochargers are expected to power about 45% of the vehicles sold in the U.S. this year, or at least 7 million vehicles. While they can help balance performance and fuel economy, turbocharged engines can suffer from a familiar problem: a delay in power delivery known as turbo lag.

SRT, the performance arm of Stellantis, believes it may have a solution. Its prototype eBoost Air system uses an electrically driven compressor to provide nearly immediate boost to Stellantis’ six-cylinder Hurricane engine while its twin turbochargers spool up.

How SRT Developed eBoost Air

SRT, short for Street and Racing Technology, is the division responsible for boosting performance across North American Stellantis brands including Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram. Last year, the group gained its own engineering team, separate from the rest of Stellantis’ Euro-American product development operations.

Joel Baker, SRT’s vice president of product engineering, said the eBoost Air system was little more than a vague idea seven weeks ago. This week, the technology is already being demonstrated in a running Jeep Grand Cherokee prototype.

The next step depends on how the system performs during real-world testing. Of the 16.2 million vehicles sold in the U.S. last year, 45% were turbocharged, giving a potential turbo-lag solution a broad audience, particularly among performance drivers.

“Enthusiasts aren’t interested in technology for the sake of technology,” said Tim Kuniskis, head of Stellantis’s American brands. “But when technology improves performance with no downside, they’re all in.”

How eBoost Air Works

Traditional turbochargers rely on exhaust gases to spin their turbines and compress the air entering an engine. At low engine speeds, particularly when a vehicle launches from a stop, there is less exhaust flow available, meaning the turbochargers need time to build speed and increase boost.

The Stellantis Hurricane engine uses two turbochargers. With eBoost Air, a butterfly valve redirects intake air toward a newly installed electrically powered compressor positioned upstream of the turbos.

Because the compressor does not rely on exhaust gases, it can provide as much as 10 psi of boost in as little as 650 milliseconds. Baker said that is enough to deliver 90% of the Hurricane engine’s torque, describing the system as “a very simple, elegant solution.”

Once the engine’s turbochargers are fully spooled and producing full boost, the butterfly valve closes and the eBoost compressor switches to idle mode. It can then activate again almost instantly whenever another burst of air is needed, including when a driver applies the throttle from a stop or while cruising on a highway.

From Digital Design to a Running Prototype

SRT engineers moved the eBoost Air system from concept to prototype using modern manufacturing methods, primarily 3D, or additive, prototyping. The process allowed the team to rapidly turn digital designs of components such as the exterior box and compressor fan blades into physical parts.

Rapid prototyping can be used with a variety of composites and metals, helping the team move quickly from an idea to a functioning system.

Over the coming months, SRT plans to test eBoost Air in the laboratory as well as on street and track courses. Engineers will evaluate how well it performs and whether it can withstand aggressive driving conditions.

Another challenge is determining how to supply electricity to the boost system. The initial prototype uses its own small battery, which is connected to the Jeep’s alternator.

Baker also said the team is “studying the customer” to determine whether the system’s benefits would justify its potential cost if it reaches production.

SRT Has No Production Plans Yet

For now, there is no production commitment. “There’s no plans…for production,” Baker said. “Not yet.”

However, SRT chief Tom Sacoman sees potential applications for eBoost Air in the automotive performance market. The technology could potentially be used with essentially any turbocharged powertrain, including the six-cylinder Hurricane engine found in various Stellantis products and the smaller Hurricane four-cylinder package.

SRT and Stellantis brands could consider offering eBoost Air as a factory option or as an aftermarket feature through the automaker’s Direct Connect arm.

Any production decision would depend on more than the system’s performance. Engineers would also need to determine whether it is durable enough to last the life of an engine, while assessing its effects on emissions and fuel economy.

The Potential Cost Remains Unknown

SRT has not disclosed a potential price for the technology. Sam Abuelsamid, lead analyst with Telemetry Research and a former auto engineer, said the system will not come cheap.

He estimated the cost could reach as much as $10,000 in a package that would also include larger and more powerful turbochargers.

For now, eBoost Air remains a prototype undergoing evaluation. Its future will depend on testing, durability, emissions and fuel-economy considerations, customer demand and whether the performance benefits justify the potential cost.