subject: The Audi A1 Is Soon To Be Electric [print this page] You won"t see it at Audi offers Tayside just yet, but it is coming "" the Audi A1 is going to be electric.
The German manufacturer recently announced a public trial of its A1 e-tron range as it works towards plugging in on a grand scale. The e-tron was first revealed as a concept car at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, and this latest phase of the electric program will involve the now 20-strong fleet being leased to customers in Munich so that Audi can learn more about electric cars and the surrounding infrastructure (ie, charging stations).
Based on the standard A1, the e-tron features a 75 kilowatt electric motor powered by a 12 kilowatt-hour battery pack. This means that the car is capable of covering a surprisingly long distance of 30 miles (a bit more than a marathon) on fully-electric power.
Once it reaches its maximum electric range, a gasoline-powered rotary engine takes over and delivers a further range of roughly 125 miles. So like the 2013 BMW i3, it"s an extended range electric car rather than a pure hybrid so it is likely to be a best seller.
The A1 is available in 5 different engines in which three are petrol engines and two are diesel engines. The petrol engines are 1.2 litre TFSI and two 1.4 litre TFSI engines and the other two are diesel 1.6 and 2.0 litre TDI engines.
The limited range means that the e-tron is highly unlikely to ever make it to market in its current form, but of course, that is not the point. The reasons manufacturers launch programs such as this is that the best way of learning how a car works in real-life situations is to send it out into the real world.
Whatever Audi learns from the e-tron will play a great part in determining the direction it takes with electric cars in the future. If you want to find out more about the electric version of the Audi A1, visit your local dealer or contact Audi UK for a more exact release date and more information on the car.
