Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Audi, Germany
For most of its early life, the Audi e-tron family was born and bred for the auto show circuit, and it did quite well there. To really make an impact, though, the cars need to get out, and some e-trons have been making forays onto public streets recently. A fleet of 20 A1 e-trons is about to scoot around the streets of Munich in a program that was announced a year ago.
The purpose, as with so many of the plug-in vehicle test fleets run by major automakers, is to gather data on how people use these new powertrains. In Munich, Audi's data-collecting partner is the Technische Universität München, with E.ON and the public utility Stadtwerke München responsible for the local charging infrastructure. Befitting a high-profile program like this, at least some of the energy used to power the A1 plug-in hybrids will be generated from renewable sources.
Since the A1 e-tron can be powered by both gasoline and electricity, it's clear that some of the Munich miles will not be renewably sourced. The little A1 e-tron can go up to 31 miles on electric power, enough to get most urban residents around their city each day without emitting any local emissions. When the lithium-ion battery runs out, a "compact combustion engine" kicks in. Today's press release doesn't detail what kind of combustion engine that is, but the concept version of the A1 e-tron used a Wankel rotary engine. The gas-electric combination gives the A1 e-tron a fuel economy rating of 124 mpge (using the "proposed standard for determining the fuel efficiency of vehicles with range extenders," Audi says). Wish you could drive the A1 e-tron in your town? Franciscus van Meel, head of electric mobility strategy for Audi, said in a statement that the automaker is, "planning additional fleet endeavors in strategically important markets."
Continue reading Audi revs up 20 A1 e-trons for Munich test fleet
Audi revs up 20 A1 e-trons for Munich test fleet originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 28 Oct 2011 11:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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