Audi e-tron to cause a buzz 16 | 09 | 2010

TWENTY EXAMPLES of Audi's A1 e-tron – the German manufacturer's advanced all-electric car — is to go on extended test in Munich. The car, which produces 100bhp, has a speed of 81mph, is capable of 148.7mpg and has CO2 emissions of just 45g/km CO2. Two-hundred ‘electric filling stations’ are to be built to deliver ‘green electricity’ for the test.

The initiative sponsored by the German Federal Ministry of Transport, will go 'live' in mid-2011 when all 20 cars have been built and tested. The exercise will enable experts to address a number of issues, from the data transfer between the driver, vehicle and electric filling station to the power grid and the use of smartphones as the central interface for the driver.

Delivering an output equivalent to 102PS, the lithium-ion battery mounted within the floor assembly in front of the rear axle of the A1 e-tron powers it to a top speed of 81mph and gives it a range of more than 31 miles in city traffic. From start up it is classified as a zero emissions vehicle over this distance. A compact internal combustion engine recharges the battery when its energy is depleted.

A small, single-rotor Wankel engine in this near-series production vehicle increases the range in exceptional circumstances. This “range extender” powers a generator that produces 15 kW of charging power. If the range extender is used to recharge the battery, the A1 e-tron can cover an additional 124 miles. According to a draft standard for the calculation of fuel consumption for range extender vehicles, this represents a fuel economy figure of 148.7mpg, equating to a CO2 output of only 45g/km.