Hot-shoe Audi RS plug-in hybrids under development

Audi is embarked on rolling out additional plug-in hybrid models to fill gaps in its existing range before year’s end, and there’s a better than even chance they’ll go on sale here too.

In the longer term, there’s hope for at least one performance plug-in model wearing RS badges to be introduced here as well, although Audi is presently saying little on that subject.

“These are really born and bred RS models... coming with a plug-in hybrid powertrain,” said Ekkehard Kleindienst, head of Product and Technology Communications at Audi.

“And with that, we can of course increase efficiency, but also give the customer a quite new driving experience – namely a combination of an electric motor and combustion engine. That is also the emotional appeal of the combustion engine, while at the same time of course, [being] quite consistent in pursuing our electrification strategy,” Kleindienst explained through an interpreter during a live-stream hook-up yesterday.

German execs during the live-streamed press conference confirmed once more that a plug-in version would join the new Audi A3 range, and plug-in variants would also expand the Q3 and Q8 SUV ranges at later dates.

In its home market of Germany, Audi already offers plug-in variants of the Q5, Q7, A6, A7 and A8 models. Audi has previously sold two plug-in models in Australia, the Q7 e-tron and the A3 e-tron.

“I'm actually quite happy to announce this year... we will see a number of cars coming – especially for the compact segment. That's the A3 plug-in hybrid,” Audi’s Technical Project Manager Electrification, Bernhard Decker, said through an interpreter.

“And our compact SUV, the Q3, will come as a plug-in hybrid to market. And then, for this year we'll round out the offer at the top end of the sporty SUV segment, because we will also bring the Q8 as a plug-in hybrid to market.”

Decker says that far from being a ‘transitional technology’, plug-in hybrid drive systems are likely to remain a fixture in the Audi range for some years to come.

“For us, the plug-in hybrid is anything but a transitional technology. It is a technology here to stay, and it is a sensible addition to our powertrain line-up, because at the end of the day, for CO2-neutral mobility it is a key component.

“There are those that drive daily long commutes. They go cross-country, they hit the city... they can use of course the combustion engine in the hybrid mode, while in the cities they can drive with zero emissions.

“Here [in cities and suburban areas], the share of the combustion engine will be close to zero, but of course in the current situation... we're talking a lot about emissions; we're talking about having the combustion engine banned from cities – making this a key argument of course for the plug-in hybrid, and also for the sustainability of the plug-in hybrid.”

Although Decker didn’t say as much, implicit in his words is the affordability factor. Plug-in hybrids can be priced closer to the market position of a conventional car in a high-grade specification than is the case for an EV such as the Audi e-tron and e-tron Sportback SUVs that are headed to Australia.

All the plug-in models will feature quattro (all-wheel drive) and the electric motor will sit between the engine and the transmission, with a decoupling device to isolate the engine from the drivetrain.

Small to mid-size models are powered by a four-cylinder engine, while the Q7 and A8 (and presumably the Q8 when it arrives) have a V6 under the bonnet. Audi mounts the battery pack under the boot floor in each model.

At fuel consumption figures typically around the 2.0L/100km or lower, plug-in hybrids are considerably more economical – and therefore discharge lower CO2 emissions – than a conventional car.

Driven within the 60km average round-trip commute that most Germans rack up each day, according to Decker, a plug-in Audi could practically complete the entire journey – there and return – on one battery charge.

Current models are good for a 59km range, Audi says, but the company is also working on new battery technology that will increase energy density relative to the battery’s dimensions. That should yield a range of up to roughly 80km, says Ogus Eksi, Audi’s hybrid powertrain development manager.

“We've got two key targets to pursue: we want to extend electric range and also retain current every-day usability,” Eksi explained through an interpreter.

“Now, the electric range, and the extension thereof, is close to 80km... roughly 80km, depending on vehicle type. Which means in future models we will increase the energy density of our batteries, so the dimensions of our batteries remain the same, to retain their every-day usability.

“With the higher electric range and capacity, of course we're also considering to ramp up the charging capacity – currently 7.4kWh – so that as a customer you need not take longer than two and a half hours to charge the battery fully.”

Drawing power from a standard 230-Volt (10Amp) outlet, the plug-in hybrid models with their 14.1kWh battery require as long as six and a half hours to recharge.

The larger cars, such as the A8, feature a 17.3kWh battery that will take longer still to charge. But those times are based on near flat to fully charged, which is essentially a worst-case scenario in the real world.

How many of these plug-in hybrid models will make it to Australia?

Shaun Cleary, Audi Australia’s Corporate Communications Manager, was quiet on the subject of the plug-in models returning to Australia, saying: “For now our focus is on bringing out our first full-electric vehicle to Australia.

“We're only a few weeks away from launching the e-tron and the e-tron Sportback, and that's definitely our focus for now, but clearly on the roadmap to electrification over the next five to 10 years, models like this will take up a proportion of that electrification.”