A1 e-tron pilot project
Audi takes e-tron technologies to the streets of MunichAudi has kicked off an electric mobility pilot project with the rollout of 20 A1 e-tron cars in Munich.
The range extender-equipped A1 is one of a number of electric and hybrid vehicles to emerge from Ingolstadt's laboratories in recent times, carrying the e-tron badge. The company has already announced it's taking the R8 e-tron to market next year, and it's currently introducing the A1 PHEV to Asia Pacific press alongside an all-electric A3. The FWD A1 e-tron combines a front-mounted 75kW electric motor with a tiny 254cc petrol powered rotary engine set beneath the boot floor.
The engine plays no direct part in powering the car. Taking up about as much space as a spare tyre, it quietly recharges the battery to extend its range from an initial unassisted 50km or so to about 250km. The Li-ion battery pack, weighing about 150kg, sits beneath the floor and ahead of the rear axle, helping keep the car's centre of gravity low and acting as a handling fulcrum in the manner of a mid-mounted engine.
Using the proposed (but not yet ratified) NEDC method for calculating the fuel efficiency of vehicles equipped with range extender engines, Audi claims fuel consumption of just 1.9L/100km with CO2 emissions of 45g/km.
In what has become the customary manner of such pilot projects aimed at gathering real-world driving data, the company has coopted a number of partners to help out with different elements of the project. For the A1 e-tron project, it has called on the services of energy utilities E.ON and Stadtwerke Munchen (SWM) along with Technische Universitat Munchen (TUM).
SWM has installed charging infrastructure in an around the city's CBD while E.ON has done the same thing in outer metro areas.
TUM's Automotive Engineering and Ergonomics departments have developed a smartphone app to help collect and analyse data on usage patterns and driving styles. It extends beyond the use of the car alone to overall mobility patterns, taking in how users integrate the car into their lives with bikes, IC-powered cars and public transport systems.
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