The most talked technology application of the hybrid Formula 1 era MGU-H is about to be introduced in AMG Mercedes road cars.
In full name Motor Generator Unit – Heat, a device designed to produce electricity from hot gases that enter the turbocharger. This electricity is battery stored as an energy and used to spin the turbocharger at lower revs.
From the start of this hybrid Formula MGU-H was biggest hurdle for manufacturers to be fully optimized, implemented and properly exploited as a part of a Formula 1 power unit. There was even consideration because of its complexity to be removed, and as so the power unit to be much simplified. By some groups in the Formula 1 paddock MGU-H, its complexity, high cost to be developed and optimized was one of the main reason why other manufacturers were reluctant to enter Formula 1.
Mercedes was thinking at the time that scraping the MGU-H will be a backwards step. Fast forward couple of years, AMG Mercedes is showing that they are not shy to put premium racing derived technology on their road models. This innovative technology applied in the Mercedes AMG models will be called ” electric exhaust gas turbocharger “, developed with turbo manufacturer Garrett Motion.
Now lets explain how MGU-H works in concise manner. MGU-H is unit connected to the turbocharger, and sits between the turbine and compressor. Inside the turbocharger, first the exhaust gases spins the turbine, which then spins the compressor. In the process, when the hot gases spins the turbine it also produces electricity, and this electricity as a recovered energy is stored in the battery pack. From here, this stored energy is deployed to spin the compressor on acceleration, thus giving immediate power and no turbo lag.
So before exhaust gases enter the turbo, a small electric motor powers compressor wheel, increasing the torque at low revs and through low engine speed by giving immediate turbo power with no lag in between.
