Audi are poised to take over the lead in the electric revolution with its new e-tron range. MICHAEL MCALEER,Motoring Editor, previews what's on offer and outlines just what puts each car ahead
IF YOU think electric cars are just a fad, then you may soon be made to eat your words. A visit to Audi’s Ingoldstadt headquarters will put you straight: the electric car revolution is in full swing and the premium car firms are ready to do battle.
At the great sprawling complex of production plants, Audi last week let us take a peak at just how advanced electric car plans are. The day before we arrived, BMW confirmed it will produce a new diesel-electric hybrid sports car for October 2013, with performance figures to rival its current M3. Here at Audi they’ll go one better with a full-electric version of its R8. But that’s only the crowning glory in a detailed programme to put electric versions of its model range into showrooms over the next five years.
Amid the austere production plants in Ingoldstadt, the changing face of the motor industry is on display. Over 400 of its leading engineering staff now work full-time on electric car development, alongside hundreds more who are merging the new technology with the current and future model ranges. It seems that car engineers of the future will need to know as much about thermodynamics and chemistry as they do about the principles of mechanics.
According to Frank van Meel, head of the firm’s electromobility strategy: “In 10 to 15 years time, electric cars will be as common as diesel ones. By then in some big cities it’s likely that certain zones will only be open to zero-emission vehicles. Audi needs to cater to the changing landscape. Car firms not managing towards the introduction of such vehicles in their range will disappear.”
Neither Audi nor van Meel plans to let that happen at Ingoldstadt.
But what will it mean for car firms? If batteries are produced by outside firms, such as Zaneo, which will supply the lithium batteries to Audi’s hybrid and electric cars, will the four-rings simply become a marketing brand?
Not according to van Meel, who says the basics of the chemistry in the cells will still be developed in-house. “The production of the batteries may be done by firms like Zaneo but the development will be Audis. And then there’s the dynamics of handling and the like. That’s still a critical element of a car and that’s where it sees car firms providing their unique identity and ability in the future. There’s a lot more to a car, particularly in the premium market, than the energy source.”
R-8 E-TRON
The R8 e-tron may be more of a showcase of Audi’s Vorsprung Durch Technick than a profit-led commercial venture, but in creating a sports car driven by four electric motors, it’s knocking on the head all the pub talk comparisons between electric cars and milk floats. The R8 e-tron can hit 100km/h from a standing start in 4.8 seconds.
Not that the prototype is that much fun to drive at present. We had a very brief drive around a short circuit in a closed car park and the prototype is very much a work in progress, weighing in at nearly two tonnes and lacking normal power steering. The final car will be a lot lighter and easier to handle.
The principles are relatively straightforward on paper: an electric motor for each wheel that can adjust power delivery as required. That means power can be adjusted depending on the cornering and grip, making under-steer or over-steer a thing of the past, theoretically at least.
The challenge – and quite a momentous one – is to get each motor delivering just the right amount of power at every moment. Get that wrong and the laws of physics decree that the car would simply spin around in circles.
It would, of course, have been easier to use just one motor powering either front or back wheels, or perhaps even two, but to get four motors to work in unison and trade information is a big challenge. However, it’s one that Audi believes it can overcome, and once achieved it will give them a serious lead in electric car dynamics and technology.
Of course, there are limitations to an electric sports car at present. The faster you go the more power you use and so the more quickly the battery runs out. Running at the limited top speed of 200km/h you’ll use up the 184kw charge in the battery in 30 minutes.
The R8 e-tron’s power is best applied in spurts of speed, combined with general cruising speeds to get the best of the range.
It’s not going to be setting the autobahns alight for very long and that’s perhaps its Achilles heel. An electric R8 is pencilled in for production by the end of 2012 – once the powers at Audi sign off on it – but even then production is likely to be limited to 200 or so cars.
Its real value, however, is in letting Audi hone its skills in matching electric power with its engineering expertise in driving dynamics. While we’re unlikely to see the R8 e-tron commuting on the roads of Ireland anytime soon, the lessons are likely to work their way into a host of electrically powered Audis in the years to come.
A1 E-TRON
The A1 e-tron is ready for the road. As we wind it around a laid-out slalom of cones and car park footpaths, this feels nothing like a prototype. In looks and features there is nothing that reveals the engineering underneath.
This is a car built for the motoring world of today, as we await significant improvements in battery technology. A battery pack is loaded under the rear floorpan, charged from a plug socket hidden behind the four rings on the front grille. It is the sole provider of power to the generator for the electric motor. But while battery range remains limited to 50km, Audi has added a small 254cc petrol-powered rotary engine running at a constant 5,000rpm when called upon and located under the rear boot floor. Its sole purpose is to drive a 20bhp generator to recharge the lithium-ion battery when the plug-in mains power starts to drain away or when extra power is needed. It has no direct contact or involvement with powering the motor and is fuelled by a small 12-litre petrol tank. The most impressive engineering feat in this car is that, even though it’s a prototype, we strained to make out the slightest whisper from the engine. The performance is impressive. With a 0-100km/h time of 10.2 seconds, its comparable with the 1.6-litre diesel version of the car. And while it will run for 50kms on a full battery charge, the official figures give it a combined fuel economy figure of 1.9l/100km, or a whopping 149 mpg in old money. Official carbon emissions come in at 45g/km, but if your average commute is less than 50km between charges then you should be achieving zero emissions as the little engine will not be needed to charge the battery.
It’s a remarkably refined yet sporting drive, identical to the regular A1. If this is the future of the e-tron range then Audi will have some serious hits on their hands.
Q5 HYBRID
Audi’s Q5 hybrid is the first of a host of petrol-electric models being added to its model portfolio.
Matched to the firm’s 2-litre TFSI engine, the additional battery pack allows the car to run solely on electric power for up to 2kms at speeds of 60km/h. That’s on a par with several plug-in hybrids coming to market in the next year or so, but with this car the real achievement is in the way the system flits from electric to engine power without the slightest judder or delay. We’ve driven a multitude of hybrids over the last 10 years and this sits alongside the Lexus RX in terms of the smooth transition between petrol and electric power.
For all the focus on its ability to run solely on electric power in town, it’s the support it gives to the regular engine that makes the most difference to the car. While the car manages a 0-100km/h time of 7.1 seconds, comparable with a V6 petrol version of the Q5, it’s due to record fuel economy figures of less than 7l/100km and emissions of less than 160g/km, similar to a four-cylinder diesel.
The Q5 hybrid is due to arrive in showrooms next autumn and the same powertrain will feature in the A8 and in the new A6 range.