DEVELOPMENT OF A BI-FUEL VEHICLE: ALTEA XL 1.6 MPI BI-FUEL

Abstract

In response to an increasing demand for vehicles that run on cheaper alternative fuels, eligible for financial incentives available from local government, SEAT has developed a bifuel Altea XL that runs on both petrol and liquid petroleum gas. Greater fuel tank capacity increases vehicle range to over 1200km, whilst location of the gas tank under the rear luggage floor maintains the Altea XL’s minimum luggage capacity of 405 litres. Development and test release of a bi-fuel installation on the basis of the SEAT Altea XL with 1.6 75kW MPI engine and enabling the vehicle to run on either petrol or liquid petroleum gas (LPG). Both engine and suspension have been modified or adapted to the new gas installation and an optimized gas injection minimizes power loss in LPG mode whilst ensuring full EU4 emissions compliance. Keywords: Bi-fuel, bi-fuel engine