Geneva 2009: Seat Leon Ecomotive with 99 g/km of CO2 and 62 mpg U.S.
by Sebastian Blanco on Mar 3rd 2009 at 10:58AM 
Click above for a high res gallery of the SEAT Leon Ecomotive Concept
Amid all of the fanciful green concept cars debuting in Geneva like the Rinspeed iChange and the Magna Steyr Mila EV comes something a little more standard looking: the SEAT Leon Ecomotive concept. As you can see from the large lettering all over the car, this concept seats four while emitting just 99 grams of CO2 per kilometer. The low emissions come from a 105 PS 1.6-litre TDI common rail engine with a particulate filter paired with automatic stop-start technology. But the "automatic" part of that requires a little bit of work:
Among the new features debuting on the Leon is an Auto Start/Stop function. When the car comes to a halt – for instance at a traffic light – and the driver selects neutral and takes his foot off the clutch, the Start/Stop function automatically switches off the engine. As he prepares to move off again and depresses the clutch, the engine is re-started and the car can be driven as normal.
The concept also uses "a form of brake energy recovery." SEAT says that this concept car is the next step in building range-extended electric vehicles. See more details after the jump. The SEAT Leon Ecomotive concept gets a combined fuel economy rating of 74.3 mpg (62 mpg U.S.) on the European cycle. We'll have live pics from Geneva up soon.
Gallery: SEAT Leon Ecomotive Concept
[Source: SEAT]
PRESS RELEASE:
SEAT'S ULTRA-GREEN LEON ECOMOTIVE CONCEPT
* CO2 emissions slashed to just 99 g/km
* Refined, efficient 105 PS 1.6-litre TDI common rail engine
* First application of Auto Start/Stop and brake energy regeneration technology
SEAT is once again grabbing the spotlight at Geneva with the unveiling, today, of an exciting new concept car.
The Swiss debut of the Leon Ecomotive Concept, a dramatic development of the existing low emissions, high economy family five-door, underlines SEAT's growing stature as a motor maker that appeals across the spectrum – from exceptional economy to outstanding performance.
Boasting a raft of new technologies, as well as an all-new 1.6-litre TDI diesel engine which features state-of-the-art common rail fuelling, the Leon Ecomotive Concept delivers class-leading CO2 emissions of just 99 g/km – the same as the outgoing and much smaller Ibiza Ecomotive – while offering combined fuel economy of 74.3 mpg.
These significant improvements in both emissions and economy over the current Leon Ecomotive (119 g/km and 62.8 mpg combined) come courtesy not just of that new 105 PS turbodiesel engine, complete with DPF particulate filter, but also an array of clever fuel-saving innovations.
Among the new features debuting on the Leon is an Auto Start/Stop function. When the car comes to a halt – for instance at a traffic light – and the driver selects neutral and takes his foot off the clutch, the Start/Stop function automatically switches off the engine. As he prepares to move off again and depresses the clutch, the engine is re-started and the car can be driven as normal.
The driver's kept up to speed on the system's operation via a special readout in the instrument binnacle, which also shows the optimum gear for maximum economy at any given moment.
This development alone can deliver fuel savings of as much as four miles per gallon around town, without the need for the Leon's driver to make any changes to their driving style.
As well as the slick Start/Stop system, the car being unveiled at Geneva also includes a form of brake energy recovery – harnessing energy generated during the braking process to save fuel by reducing the usual drain on engine power that stems from a conventional alternator.
Of course many of the existing fuel- and emissions-saving techniques employed in the existing Leon Ecomotive find their way into the new concept car: lengthened gear ratios, the use of low rolling resistance tyres and optimised aerodynamics all feature.
The new Concept naturally includes the same elegant design revisions as those seen across the revised Leon and Altea family range, also making their debut in Geneva.
Top quality interior design and trim are matched by generous equipment that includes ESP, ABS and TCS, numerous airbags, body-coloured electric door mirrors, air conditioning and a six-speaker MP3-compatible CD radio with Aux-in connection.
The Leon Ecomotive Concept follows hot on the heels of the recently-unveiled Leon Twin Drive Ecomotive prototype which made its debut at the SEAT Technical Centre in Martorell, near Barcelona, in January.
That concept showcases SEAT's work towards producing vehicles which run on electricity in urban areas, switching seamlessly to conventional petrol or diesel power for longer trips out of town.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Carney 11:09AM (3/03/2009)
Doesn't constantly starting and stopping the engine increase wear and tear? Doesn't it also slow down responsiveness? Or has this technology avoided those problems?
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Jon 11:35AM (3/03/2009)
I am curious if someone can help me out here.
For example... If I have a car form 1980 that gets 30mpg, and a car from 2009 that gets 30mpg, does that mean they will both be giving off the same "X" gCO2/km? Assuming both are gas driven.
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GoodCheer 2:10PM (3/03/2009)
Yes.
CO2 production is a direct (stoichiometric) function of the amount of gasoline (or diesel, or soy oil, or ethanol) burned... though I should say the amount of CO2 per gallon is different for different fuels.
mister nomer 4:44PM (3/03/2009)
Jon: "If I have a car form 1980 that gets 30mpg, and a car from 2009 that gets 30mpg, does that mean they will both be giving off the same "X" gCO2/km? Assuming both are gas driven."
The answer is actually kinda complicated.
If the engines do not have the same displacement, I'd say no.
If the engines both have the same displacement but are from 2 different eras (carburetors vs fuel injection or early fuel injection vs today's fuel injection) I'd say maybe.
If the engines both have the same displacement and were both made in the last 10 years I'd say yes.
Why? Well...
A 3.0L engine displaces 3.0L of air through its combustion cycle. For "perfect" combustion, the air to fuel ratio is 14.7:1.
Notice I said perfect.
In the 1980s a lot of cars still had carburetors which meant depending on the temperature and density of the air sometimes you were running rich (a ratio with more gas than perfect) and sometimes you were running lean (a ratio with less gas than perfect).
In the late 80s/early 90s manufacturers started making engines with high quality fuel injection systems, ones with electronic control modules that could adjust the air-fuel mixture on the fly depending on the conditions.
So now we're perfect right?
Nope. Some manufacturers took advantage of this technology and created fuel injection maps (fuel injection settings) that allowed their engines to run lean (over 20:1 air-fuel ratio) to give better gas mileage.
Unfortunately what this "lean-burn" technique also does is produce higher levels of nitrous oxide in the emissions (NOx). Changes in the emissions regulations of the late 90s put a stop to this and now all engines try for "perfect" combustion all the time.
mister nomer 4:50PM (3/03/2009)
To sum up:
If the engines in your comparison do not have the same displacement and do not operate within the same combustion parameters ("lean-burn" vs. stoichiometric vs. that car in front of you that is so out of tune you can smell unburned gas in the exhaust) it's tough to make an accurate comparison.
Thanks! = )
Jon 5:30PM (3/03/2009)
Thanks for the reply's. I am on my cities Climate Action Committee and it has become hard to try and figure out the total carbon foot print of cars in our city based somewhat on this example I laid out. Although I do think gCO2/km is a more informative measure for folks seeking a cleaner automotive alternative I find if you can't relate that to your 1980 car there will be issues. Wouldn't you agree? Perhaps there needs to be a multifaceted approach that carries a number of measurements into the picture (i.e. misternomer's reference to fuel to air ratios and so on). Definitely something we "green geeks" will come up with sooner or later. :)
Thanks!
jharlan 11:39AM (3/03/2009)
Wow! I used to think I needed a 40 MPG car. Now I think I need a 60 MPG car. Unfortunately it looks like it will be VW TDI powered. Come on, Detroit, are you going to wait until the Europeans are selling 60 MPG diesels before you can offer us 40 MPG gasoline powered cars? By the way, there is no way a gasoline powered 40 MPG car is going to pollute less than a 60 MPG diesel with a scrubber. Efficient diesels now, or chapter 11, are you listening. It took you over 26 years for you to produce a car that got as good mileage as a 1954 VW bug. How long are you going to have to play catch up on offering modern diesels? I'm still rooting for the home team, in spite of their incompetence, but I am frustrated.
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usbseawolf2000 11:43AM (3/03/2009)
Jon,
If you are using EPA rating of 30 MPG the answer is NO. In 2008, EPA revised new testing methodology to reflect more aggressive driving.
To convert, the old EPA number to the 2008 standard, use the following URL.
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/calculator.html
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usbseawolf2000 11:56AM (3/03/2009)
jharian,
UK gallon is larger than US gallon. Plus, testing procedures are different so you can't compare them.
If we were to compare it to the 2008 Prius, it emit 104 gram of CO2 per km. The same car gets 46 MPG in the US per the new 2008 EPA procedure. The new 2010 Prius is rumored to emit 89 g/km with 134 hp and it is a much bigger car. BTW, the new Prius just got the official EPA 50 MPG.
So, for this Diesel with start/stop tech, you may be looking at about 48 MPG. Remember, Diesel contains about 10% more energy than 87 Octane gasoline. Note that there were no mention of acceleration performance. The big question is, how does 0-60mph compare to the new Prius (9.8 sec)?
In summary, both hybrid and diesel are advancing in technology. It looks like Diesel is becoming more like a hybrid while hybrids are becoming more powerful, fuel efficient and affordable.
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Phil 12:29PM (3/03/2009)
How do you get from 62 US mpg on the EU combined cycle to 48 mpg?
Yes, the EU cycle comes out higher than EPA, but they are still achievable numbers.
You can get 48 US mpg from a 2.0 diesel Passat, no trouble, never mind an Ecowhatsit Leon.
usbseawolf2000 12:53PM (3/03/2009)
The Iconic Prius (04-09) 104 g/km = 46 US MPG.
2010 Prius 89 g/km = 50 MPG.
Leon TDI 99 g/km = ?? MPG. I simply took 48 MPG as the average but you can do proper % calculation.
Jetta TDI 2.0L got 29 city / 40 highway. Why do you expect Passat TDI to get 48 US MPG?
Toshi 12:39PM (3/03/2009)
With regard to the auto stop/start not being so "auto": this is how all implementations of auto stop/start in manual transmission cars work, to the best of my knowledge.
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jharlan 7:47PM (3/03/2009)
It's a pretty good comparison, Seat Leon Ecomotive (VW powered) against Prius. What it tells me is these 2 cars are about the same price, pollute about the same, and one is a hybrid and one is not. How about a TDI Hybrid? Just how long do you think it will take VW to spring with a TDI hybrid? If you were planning such a car would you tell everyone? Maybe not! Maybe 75 MPG?
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Forrest 11:08AM (5/06/2009)
I have a question-
If you have a car with 99 g/km CO2/fuel economy of 74.3 mpg, does anyone know how this can be translated into a tangible saving, for the environment or the pocket e.g. driving a 99g car means you'll be doing what for the environment, cutting on average x amount of CO2 over a year, which is equivalent to...
Same goes for the mpg, what would this save, say over a year, compared to a modern non-eco car?
Sorry if this is trying to simplify something that cannot be, I'd just like to know if there is an easy way of putting these benefits into perspective. Sorry to be ignorant, I know these numbers are pretty good, but they just don't mean much to me in real terms.
If anyone has any answers I would be very grateful
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