TECHNOLOGY FOR CHANGE

Audi A1 E-tron Kicks Electric Vehicles into Gear

R. Colin Johnson | Date: 07-21-10 | Comments

Audi's new A1 family, slated to debut this fall, is a precursor to its electric model�the A1 E-tron. Dubbed a mega-city vehicle, the A1 E-tron combines an all-electric drive train with style and economy.

This fall, Audi is introducing its new A1 line, the precursor to its electric models that are slated to arrive in Europe next year and the U.S. by 2012. As Audi's smallest automobile to date�just 12 feet long�the A1 will woo buyers with luxury items, including 18-inch alloy wheels and a space-age interior, not typically available on "economy" hybrids..

At its introduction this fall, the A1 will have three gasoline engines from which consumers can choose�from 85 to 120 horsepower�all equipped with the latest fuel-efficiency and recuperative-energy systems. For instance, all A1 models use an energy-recuperation system that recovers kinetic energy with its alternator whenever the A1 is braked. This system claims increased fuel economy of about three percent.

Audi A1 E-tron offers an integral navigator and a luxurious interior for its smallest car to date.

The A1 E-tron will have a 30-mile range on a single charge from its 12-kilowatt-hour, 380-volt, 330-pound, 96-cell lithium ion battery pack, but its range can be extended with an on-board gasoline-powered electricity generator. Audi claims this "serial hybrid" architecture has a smaller energy footprint and lower cost than parallel hybrids (like Toyota's Prius, which uses a gasoline engine to power its wheels). In its design, Audi's A1 E-tron is more akin to Chevy's Volt, another serial hybrid that will only use the gasoline engine to recharge the batteries, or to extend its driving range.

Audi A1 E-tron is only 12 feet long, but offers styling that includes 18-inch alloy wheels.

The synchronous electric motor, mounted transversely in the front, will offer about 100 horsepower during short bursts and 60 horsepower during continuous driving. The electric motor can accelerate the 2,624-pound car to 60 miles per hour in about 10 seconds, and peaks at a top speed of about 80 miles per hour. Two different operating modes offer fuel economy as high as 124 miles per gallon, according to Audi estimates. When operating in extended-mode, the battery packs are assisted by the 154-pound, single-rotor, 254-cc Wankel gasoline engine under the luggage compartment, which runs an electricity generator at a constant 5,000 rpm. In extended mode, the Audi A1 E-tron's range is increased to about 125 miles on its three-gallon gas tank. Audi estimates that the A1 E-tron can be recharged in as little as three hours from an external 380-volt charging station.

If drivers input their destination into the navigation system, the A1 E-tron will calculate whether and for how long it needs to engage the Wankel-powered on-board 15-kW generator. The car will then manage the recharging operation autonomously as they drive.

Rumors are also circulating about a successor to the A1 E-tron based on an A2 chassis: a hatchback version that could debut by 2014 in Europe.