Dacia has presented a new
bi-fuel gasoline and LPG engine at the Brussels Motor Show. Debuting on the
Duster SUV, the new TCe 100 Eco-G power plant will soon be available on other
models including the Sandero, Sandero Stepway, Logan and Logan MCV. This new
engine is essentially the bi-fuel version of the TCe 100 turbocharged 1.0-liter
three-cylinder gasoline engine introduced by Dacia last year.
Mind you, the Eco-G version
delivers more torque while reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. More
specifically, the peak torque gains 10 Nm for a total of 170 Nm at 2,000 rpm, while CO2 emissions are reduced by around 10 percent.
As for fuel economy, while the
average consumption of an LPG engine is slightly higher, the overall fuel cost
per kilometer is reduced by up to 30 percent compared to a gasoline engine and
up to 8 percent compared to a diesel engine.
Obviously, the vehicle can run
on either petrol or LPG, as it’s equipped with separate tanks for each fuel.
The driver can switch from petrol to LPG (or the other way round) via a
dedicated switch located in the passenger compartment. When the LPG tank is
empty, the system switches automatically to petrol. The additional LPG tank is
made of high-strength steel and is located at the spare wheel, which means the
cargo volume does not take a hit. With both tanks full, the Duster TCe 100
Eco-G is said to offer a driving range of more than 1,000 km.
Unlike most LPG-prepped
vehicles, Dacia says its Eco-G models can access underground car parks thanks
to the safety features built into the system. Those include a safety valve,
non-return valve, a filling level limited to 80 percent, a flow limiter and a
solenoid valve. Furthermore, the Eco-G vehicles are not affected by traffic
restrictions in the event of pollution peaks.
The new TCe 100 Eco-G power
plant debuts in France in January 2020 with a starting price of € 12,490
(US$ 13,905) on the Duster – the same price as the equivalent petrol-powered
model.
