EPA: 4-Cylinder, 8-Speed Turbocharged Toyota Tundra in 2025
Tim Esterdahl | Apr 30, 2013 | Comments 14
An EPA official declared that by 2025, when the CAFE regulations take full effect, 90 percent of the vehicles on the market will have turbocharged engines. Is it EcoBoost or bust for the Toyota Tundra?
Will turbocharged engines like this Ford EcoBoost engine come standard in all 2025 Toyota Tundra pickups? The EPA says yes.
Speaking at the recent SAE World Congress, Edward Nam, director of the EPA’s Light Duty Vehicles & Small Engines Center in Ann Arbor, MI said that the current turbochargers generally are “limited to 261 psi (18 bar) of brake mean effective pressure, but that 348-psi (24-bar) units will be in the market by 2016 and used widely by 2025,” according to WardsAuto.com.
The mean effective pressure is a measure of the average pressure over a cycle in the combustion chamber of the engine. By creating more pressure with less engine, the vehicle is more fuel efficient.
By building and creating more powerful turbochargers the CAFE regulations will be more reachable for all manufactures. Nam says that 90 percent of all vehicles will have them paired with 8-speed transmissions.
“We believe turbochargers will improve over time, and we believe engines will be able to improve over time,” Nam told WardsAuto.
The improvement in turbocharged engines will ultimately create smaller and smaller displacement engines such as a 392-psi (27-bar) model.
“So that means that a vehicle like a Ford F-150 or Chevy Silverado (pickup truck) being run with a 4-cyl. engine,” Nan told WardsAuto.
The growth in turbocharged engines has been dramatic with Ford products who seemingly believe they are indeed the future. As we have documented though, there is some long-term concern about durability as well as questions over real-world fuel economy numbers (see: Consumer Reports story and video below).
If we are too believe the EPA fuel economy stats for turbocharged engines (raise your hand if you do … didn’t think so), these engines could save 4 billion barrels of oil and slash greenhouse-gas emissions by 2.2 billion tons (2 billion t) between 2017 and 2025.
While that is nice, the numbers consumers care about are fuel savings. Nan believes this will translate into a lifetime fuel savings for consumers around $5,700 to $7,400. He bases these numbers on the fuel efficiency of smaller engines and the current gas price of $3.87 per gallon.
Keep in mind though that the new CAFE regulations WILL make vehicles more expensive. Nan says that number should be around $1,800 more compared to the 2016 prices. This wild guess puts the average payback period of 3.5 years when buying a new vehicle.
It isn’t just going to cost consumers though, automakers are expected to shell out a combined $136 billion in costs to meet these new regulations.
Apparently, the EPA doesn’t think just a simple turbocharger will get the vehicles to obtain better MPG. The increases in electric and hybrid vehicles should help as well. Yet, Nan says their estimates are that less than 3 percent of vehicles in the market in 2025 will have a plug-in.
“We believe most auto makers should be able to meet the standards largely through advancements in internal-combustion engines and improvements in emissions,” Nan told WardsAuto. There’s a wide range of technologies available to help meet the standards.”
These advancements will come in the way of an increase in diesels, improved aerodynamics, and improved tires that have better rolling resistance.
All of this translates into a light-duty, full-size truck market that has an incredibly similar aerodynamic look. The reality is that from a designers standpoint a truck is a box and there are only so many things you can do to make it look original while being aerodynamic. These trucks will either have a turbocharged or diesel engine, 8- or 9- speed transmissions and improved exhaust systems.
What do you think? Do you agree with the EPA that turbocharged engines are the future? Your turn, sound off below.
Related Posts:
Filed Under: Tundra News
Although Tim we may not believe in the turbo longevity by the time 2025 comes around it more than likely be second nature and a good deal. Also I believe by then you will also have out a new different engine that will revolutionize the auto industry. I can dream can I Tim?
Mickey,
Yep you can dream! What do you dream of? Steam propulsion??
-Tim
I think the savior for future CAFE standards will also include the application of graphene.
I’m not a nano-tech dude, but this stuff is holding a lot of promise.
Graphene? Hmm… I’ll have to look into that.
-Tim
Just drove 1300 miles up to MT for some fishing, camping gear plus light 500 pound trailer load.
1994 T100 standard cab Long bed 3.0L V6 5 speed manual trans 4WD 4500 pound truck.
On the way home I had to push through winds up to 30 MPH going west through Wyoming. At times I was down in 3rd at 4000 RPM going 40 MPH. I got as low as 12 MPG into that wind. Empty with no trailer at 55 – 60 MPH, no wind I see 19 MPG at best.
My friend had his F150 4 door with a 5.4L V8 4 speed auto trans pulling a 1200 pound trailer. His V8 had the power to do 75 into that wind and it pushed him down to 8 MPG.
So, people are going to look at the digital read out on the new RAM 1500 V6, 8 speed trans which says they are getting 25 MPG while going down hill with a tail wind and think their truck gets 25 MPG. How stupid can people be, get real.
I watched big Ford/GM/Ram trucks pulling 30 foot camping trailers going 75 when I was doing 55. If those trucks had gas motors they were getting at most 6 MPG. Put a twin turbo eco-boost motor in those and they still are moving the same load and still will only be getting 6 MPG.
Lets say I added 2 turbos to my 3.0L V6 and pressurized the crap out of it and doubled the fuel burn and then run it 600 miles for 12 hours at 3500 – 4000 RPM. The thing would explode in about 3 years.
Where in the hell does EPA get these 25MPG numbers for 2025. No matter how you cut it, it takes fuel to move 20000 pounds into the wind at 75 MPH.
When 2025 gets here it might be time to abandon the light 1/2 ton truck and move to the non-EPA regulated 3/4 ton real trucks. The 1/2 ton trucks are gong to be about 2000 pound lighter to meet those 25 MPG numbers and they will last about 1 year before the doors fall off on a rough dirt road.
They must mount the trucks on rollers in a wind tunnel and make up any numbers they want.
We need an EPA for sure but somehow some entity needs to regulate them also and keep them sane.
I wonder if EPA will demand the big 15L commercial trucks get 12 MPG in 2025. Good luck with that.
Larry,
I’m really not sure what the EPA is thinking. Nor am I really sure what the right answer is. Frankly, automakers NEED to be pushed a little to provide better MPGs for us. However, I’m not sure where the happy median is.
One thing is for sure, more on this topic is coming. 🙂
-Tim
Yes, we need something to happen. Most of all we need smarter truck buyers who will demand quality.
I know one thing or sure, any full sized pick up which gets 25 MPG (real world –miles/gallons — not that number on the dash), is going to have to come in under 4000 pounds and that truck will not hold up under working conditions. On nice interstate highways sure but not on the job. It will need to operate on 100 HP or less most of the time. Those engines are going to be expensive, complex and they won’t run 200,000 miles for sure.
I once worked on projects for the Utah State Department of Natural Resources in the energy department. I had to deal with EPA on a regular basis. EPA in it’s current state is hopeless. We need one but keeping it from turning into a monster who’s only job is to employ it’s self is a difficult problem. Not sure how it can be kept rational. They have to keep making new regulations needed or not to justify their existence. If they can’t come up with reasonable solutions to real problems they will invent problems to solve to keep getting that paycheck and pension.
I would shut EPA down and rebuild it from scratch.
So 2025 will be when Toyota updated the Tundra’s powertrain? LOL
More likely 2025 is when everyone will stop building trucks!
LOL!
-Tim
The future of the U.S. truck market is in Europe today. The current fuel prices seen in Europe will be here in the U.S. So, naturally, a middle class income will have to take into consideration fuel mileage. With that said, today’s 1/2 ton will be replaced by trucks sized like the Tacoma and new GM mid-size truck. The only full-size truck available will the 3/4 ton and up.
Someone made an earlier post along these lines; I agree with them.
One more note: we don’t need the EPA when it comes to fuel mileage/cafe standards. The naturally rising fuel prices will force automakers into making more fuel efficient vehicles; if they don’t, then vehicles sales will suffer.
LJC,
Right on the mark. What we need is free market pricing of fuel and all kinds of stuff. No monopolies but solid regulated free markets. Just enough regulation to keep it fair, what ever that means. Only problem is that in free markets some are not smart enough to survive and we keep bailing them out. Zero chance of ever seeing free markets here. We are headed for the zero growth of Europe for sure.
The world has gone mad. Parking lots at software companies in silicon valley are filled with monster 4WD trucks which drive around on dry roads 99 percent of the time with 100 pounds of differential gears and axels sloshing around gear oil wasting fuel in July all because the people don’t want to lock in a hub. All the gears turning all the time just waiting to be lock in. Result, 12 MPG.
Yes, the 1/2 ton is slowly being morphed into the Nomad station wagon of the past. To get a real truck 10 years from now the entry will be 3/4 ton. You can’t mess with an industrial use truck and still have something which will work in rough conditions with out falling to pieces.
EPA can talk all they want, and make all kinds of demands but, if you need to haul a loaded truck with a 10000 pound trailer out a 50 mile washboarded road, people won’t be doing it with a 4000 pound so called 1/2 ton pickup. The law of nature can’t be changed, To move 20,000 pounds 75 MPH it takes a fixed amount of fuel at 100 percent efficiency. I have a feeling we are close to as good as it’s going to get. Can we improve fuel economy another 25 percent? Not likely. Look at the fuel consumption of a real gas truck moving 10000 pounds gross load 25 years ago. While it’s a bit better we are still down around 10 MPG. We will be lucky to see gas motors which will get us to 12 in real world working class trucks.
I know someone with a 4 door F250 V10 long bed dually , he moves his horses with it. It gets 7 – 8 MPG under load and 10 – 11 empty. Drop in an eco boost motor and it will still be the same when it has to pull 10000 pounds plus the weight of the truck and the motor will be done in just a few years.
The 1/2 ton truck is becoming a thing of the past. With each day I am seeing that I need a stripped down 3/4 work truck and a light car for everyday use. Time to start a shell company, buy a big ass truck, depreciate it and expense off the fuel. As for saving the environment, I am all for it, I promise to never use more energy the Al Gore the environmentalist.
1/2 ton trucks are not going anywhere even 10-15 years from now now way. I guess we will see with Ford how the ecoboost V6 holds up in the f150 in a few years. Yes, it is quick off the line, but longevity remains to be seen. Plus, the mpg is not what is stated and is worse or so I have been hearing as such. Personally, I’ll gladly take 300 hp and 325 torque if it meant 25 hwy. mpg in a 1/2 ton truck. It can be done, but will it? The govt. and the oil companies are in bed together and won’t do a darn thing until FORCED to change.