When Were Turbos Invented?

However, it wasn't until 1905 that turbochargers began to take shape, when Swiss engineer Alfred Buchi, head of diesel engine research at Gebruder Sulzer, received a patent for a compressor driven by exhaust gases that forced air into a diesel engine to increase power output.

When was the first turbo used?

The first commercial application of a turbocharger was in 1925, when Alfred Büchi successfully installed turbochargers on ten-cylinder diesel engines, increasing the power output from 1,300 to 1,860 kilowatts (1,750 to 2,500 hp).

Who invented turbos for cars?

The history of turbocharging dates back to the late 19th Century. While both Gottlieb Daimler and Rudolf Diesel were tinkering with forced induction. The first patent for a practical turbocharger (applied for in 1896) belongs to a Swiss mechanical engineer Alfred Buchi (pictured below).