Autoblog

Audi Urban Concept Sportback ready for wireless charging in the city

Sebastian Blanco — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 19:40:00 EST

Filed under: Frankfurt Motor Show, Audi, Electric

Not as easily spotted as its Spyder relative, the Audi Urban Concept Sportback more closely matches the renderings we saw before the start of the Frankfurt Motor Show. That's not to say we were totally prepared for the quirkiness of either version, but at least the Sportback's carbon fiber reinforced plastic body was somewhat known to us.

Under the CFRP, the Sportback and Spyder share the same all-electric powertrain. That means two electric motors with a combined output of 15 kW (20 PS) of continuous power and 47 Nm (34.67 lb-ft) of torque as well as a li-ion battery that has 7.1 kWh of usable energy (total size unknown) and offers a range of 45 miles. Getting from zero to 62 mph (the concept's top speed) takes a gentle 16.9 seconds, which would be fine if Audi ever releases this vehicle for sale in its intended environment: the city.

Perhaps even more appropriate for a city getabout, the battery pack can recharge in just an hour from a standard (in Europe) 230-volt household current. If you have access to a 400-volt, three-phase current fast charger, that drops to approximately 20 minutes. Both concept vehicles are also ready with Audi Wireless Charging (AWC) technology, which uses contactless induction from a 3.6kW primary coil installed into a parking spot, say, to automatically start refilling the battery pack when you pull the car into place. Audi didn't say how long this wireless charging takes, just that it "is comparable to that of other charging technologies."

Get more details on Audi's new 1+1 seater in the press release after the jump and check out detailed pictures in the gallery above.

Continue reading Audi Urban Concept Sportback ready for wireless charging in the city

Audi Urban Concept Sportback ready for wireless charging in the city originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 19:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Audi Urban Concept Spyder redefines "Like nothing else"

Jonathon Ramsey — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 18:02:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Frankfurt Motor Show, Convertible, Audi, Electric

The Audi Urban Concept came out from behind its many renderings today, and yes, it is just as funky in person. In fact, it might be more so - the renderings simply can't prepare you for the soapbox-racer proportions of this dinky 1,000-pound open-wheeler. And even though there are but two seats, we're still intrigued by the thought of gaining ingress through the back of the car.

Underneath the slight skin of carbon fiber reinforced plastic, two e-tron electric motors propel the 1+1 with 'powerful' acceleration, which is just what you'd expect from a motorized water strider.

Interestingly, Audi had promised us a hardtop version of the Urban Concept, the Sportback, but we've scoured the German automaker's massive stand and have yet to find it. We'll keep our eyes peeled and let you know if it shows up tomorrow. In the meantime, check out the flyweight Spyder in our gallery.

Continue reading Audi Urban Concept Spyder redefines "Like nothing else"

Audi Urban Concept Spyder redefines "Like nothing else" originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 13 Sep 2011 18:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First details on Audi's ActiveE-fighting A3 e-tron

Damon Lavrinc — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 15:25:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Hatchback, Audi, Electric

Audi A3 e-tron - Click above for high-res image gallery

Audi is ready to take its e-tron vehicle strategy on the road, and one of its first all-electric offerings will come in the form of the A3.

Based on Audi's entry-level hatchback, the A3 e-tron packs an electric motor under the hood which sends power from the rear- and mid-mounted battery packs to the front wheels. Output is rated at 100 kW (just over 130 horsepower) and 199 pound-feet of torque, with the 26.5 kWh lithium-ion batteries providing a range of around 90 miles. The electric A3's performance figures to be far from enthralling, requiring 11 seconds to hit 60 mph and topping out at just 90 mph, but with a 400-volt rapid charger, getting juiced up can take as little as four hours - or as long as nine with a standard 110-volt outlet.

Other modifications include a new gauge cluster, a low consumption HVAC system and a heated windshield, but when the A3 e-tron is set to hit the market is still up in the air. The R8-based flaghip will supposedly go on sale sometime in 2013, but if Audi wants to get in on the EV action sooner - much like BMW is doing with its ActiveE 1 Series - the A3 could be a worthy stop-gap until in the interim.

Gallery: Audi A3 etron

[Source: Autoblog.it]

First details on Audi's ActiveE-fighting A3 e-tron originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 10 Apr 2011 15:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Audi maintains it isn't at odds with parent VW over new EV?

Zach Bowman — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 17:29:00 EST

Filed under: Europe, Hatchback, Audi, Rumormill, Electric

Audi A1 E-tron concept - Click above for high-res image gallery

All is apparently well in the house of Volkswagen. According to Automotive News, Audi has come out and refuted reports that the German automaker is butting heads with its parent company. Rumors had cropped up that the two had been locking horns over the creation of the Audi A1 E-tron. Word had it that VW was riled that Audi wanted to craft a range-extended EV with a gasoline rotary engine instead of following the EV plans of the rest of the VW family. Reports had said that Audi wanted a vehicle that would be an alternative to the BMW Mega City car.

Volkswagen wants all of the brands under its watch to use similar platforms for their respective electric vehicle efforts, or at least that's what The Financial Times Deutschland reported earlier this week. Automotive News, however has reported that Audi says there's no conflict between the two companies. Volkswagen, meanwhile, was apparently unavailable for comment the story.

Gallery: Audi A1 e-tron concept

[Source: Automotive News]

Audi maintains it isn't at odds with parent VW over new EV? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 05 Jan 2011 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Audi bringing plug-in hybrid in 2014

Steven J. Ewing — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 16:32:00 EST

Filed under: Audi, Electric

Audi e-tron concept - Click above for high-res image gallery

By the year 2020, Audi hopes to be the "leading premium seller of electric vehicles," Franciscus van Meel, the automaker's manager for electric mobility, told AutoWeek during a recent technical workshop at the company's headquarters in Ingolstadt, Germany. In addition to launching a number of hybrid vehicles (including the A8 and Q5) over the next few years, Audi plans to debut a plug-in hybrid in 2014.

Exactly what sort of plug-in hybrid we'll actually see hasn't been disclosed just yet, but the whole business is part of Audi's e-tron division - the folks that gave us beauties like the R8-based e-tron supercar (pictured above) that debuted at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show.

Furthermore, Audi's board member for technology, Michael Dick, says that by 2020, he wants to see the automaker's internal combustion engines improve efficiency by 30 percent, with 5 percent of the brand's lineup to be purely electric. That's a tall order, indeed, but with parent company Volkswagen AG aiming to be the number one producer of hybrid and electric cars before the end of the next decade, the four-ringed automaker's quest for electrification isn't as far-fetched as you might think.

Gallery: Audi e-tron Concept

[Source: AutoWeek]

Report: Audi bringing plug-in hybrid in 2014 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 24 Nov 2010 16:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Audi wants your help designing its future electric vehicles

Autoblog Staff — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Audi, Design/Style, Electric

Audi e-tron - Click above for high-res image gallery

So you think you've got what it takes to design an electric car? If so, Audi is interested in hearing from you. The company just kicked off an electric car competition that challenges people to try their hand at designing the cars of tomorrow. The competition is open to anyone with an eye for design who also knows a thing or two about electric cars. Audi officially calls the competition "The Production of Electric Automobiles," and concept ideas are currently being accepted. Unfortunately, the site is in German, making entry a wee bit more difficult, but this translated Google page will help English-only speakers out.

There are a few guidelines that must be followed in order to have chance at winning the contest, but it's pretty simple stuff. Of those who do enter before the July 31st deadline, Audi will select eight finalists to attend a workshop to perfect and resubmit their ideas. The company will then choose an overall winner in November. Bernd Griesbach, an Audi spokesperson for the event, hints at what the company expects from entrants:

We are convinced that we will receive many innovative and creative entries because the competition is a unique opportunity for young employees and potential employees. It is important that the concept can be easily implemented and demonstrates clear progress over the state of the art.

Interested? Give it a try, as there's certainly nothing to lose. If you do well enough, your design might even be implemented in future Audi products and could even land you a spot at the company. How's that for forward momentum? Follow the jump to learn more about the contest. Hat tip to Larzen!

Gallery: Challenge Bibendum: Audi e-Tron

Photos copyright (C)2010 Sebastian Blanco / Weblogs, Inc.
[Source: Audi]

Continue reading Audi wants your help designing its future electric vehicles

Audi wants your help designing its future electric vehicles originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 09 Jun 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: Audi R8 e-tron hits the road

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 09:30:00 EST

Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupe, Audi, Electric

Audi surprised the motoring press with its first R8-based e-tron concept back at last year's Frankfurt Motor Show and has since shown off a repainted, slightly modified version in LA and finally a third take on the electric sportscar concept earlier this year in Detroit. We don't expect the German automaker to slow down its march to putting high-powered electric vehicles on the road any time soon, as evidenced by these spy shots of a heavily disguised e-tron roaming the streets in Germany.

At first glance, there's little indication that the car pictured here is anything but a run-of-the-mill (if such a thing exists) R8 with a psychedelic paint job. A closer examination reveals a complete lack of exterior cooling ducts and a blocked-off rear compartment.

There's no indication of what electric powertrain exists in this prototype, but previous concepts have used four individual electric motors with enough power to push the car to 60 miles per hour in under five seconds. Energy storage comes courtesy of a 54kW lithium ion battery pack. Audi is promising to have the e-tron on the roads by 2012 with a limited production run of no more than 1,000 units.

[Source: Autocar]

Spy Shots: Audi R8 e-tron hits the road originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 09 Jun 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Audi A1 e-tron runs like Volt, advances ER-EV concept

Sam Abuelsamid — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 23:35:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Hybrid, Geneva Motor Show, Hatchback, Audi, Electric

Audi A1 e-tron concept - Click above for high-res image gallery

After teasing us with a few goodies yesterday, Audi has just released technical details on its new A1 e-tron concept that debuts later today at the Geneva Motor Show. As we already knew, the A1 uses an extended range electric architecture like the Chevrolet Volt, but with a compact and power-dense Wankel rotary engine/generator to keep the battery alive after power from the grid is depleted. The diagrams released by Audi show that the Wankel is mounted in the car's rear behind the T-shaped battery pack that sits mostly under the rear seat.

The lithium ion battery pack has a capacity of 12 kilowatt-hours, which is claimed to provide about 30 miles of range on a charge. Unlike the 1,000+ pound pack in the original e-tron concept, this unit weighs in at just 330 pounds. The electric motor provides a standard output of 45 kW or 61 horsepower, though peak power of 75 kW or 102 hp is available in short bursts and keeps the car's 0-62 mile-per-hour time around 10 seconds. The motor and all of the power electronics reside in the car's front where the internal combustion powerplant of a conventional A1 would normally be found.

The Wankel weighs in at just 154 lbs and displaces just 254 cc of volume in its single rotor. The whole unit is small enough to sit below the cargo floor of the A1. Running at a constant 5,000 rpm, the rotary motor can extend the A1 e-tron's range to 130 miles. Why not longer? The fuel tank holds only 3.17 gallons. With the Wankel running, Audi says the A1 e-tron will return about 124 miles per gallon U.S.

Of historical note, the first ever production car with a Wankel rotary engine was introduced by NSU back in 1964. NSU later merged with Auto Union, which also included Audi, the sole surviving brand of the group.

Gallery: Audi A1 e-tron concept

[Source: Audi]

Continue reading Audi A1 e-tron runs like Volt, advances ER-EV concept

Audi A1 e-tron runs like Volt, advances ER-EV concept originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 01 Mar 2010 23:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FOLLOW-UP: Audi says electric e-tron puts out 501.5 lb-ft

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:58:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Marketing/Advertising, Audi, Electric

Audi e-tron concept - Click above for high-res image gallery

Will the real torque figure of the Audi e-tron concept please stand up? While the German automaker continues to claim its all-electric concept sportscar manages a stout, locomotive-like 4,500 Nm (3,319.03 pound-feet) of torque, the sleuthing boys at Automobile Magazine weren't buying it, instead coming up with a much more mundane rating of 252 lb-ft of torque after performing some back-of-a-paper-napkin calculations.

It would seem that the real torque figure lies somewhere in between those two estimates, though significantly closer to the lower, unadvertised number: 501.5 lb-ft. That's the total combined output of the four individual electric motors, says Audi. The astronomical 3,319 is the torque as measured at the wheels after being geared down and multiplied. So, why the disparity between the actual torque of the motors and the figure espoused by Audi to the motoring press?

Well, besides the obvious answer that 3,319 lb-ft at the wheels sounds much more impressive, Audi's engineers apparently thought the larger number was more indicative of the actual feeling of all the push generated by the four electric motors when accelerating from a dead stop, as the maximum torque figure is achieved right from zero RPM.

Regardless, using the still-impressive rating of 501.5 lb-ft is, in our opinion, much more accurate and easier to compare with the rest of the automotive field than the seemingly disingenuous 3,319 figure, and it's the number we plan to use when describing the car from this point forward.

Gallery: Audi e-tron concept

[Source: Green Car Advisor]

FOLLOW-UP: Audi says electric e-tron puts out 501.5 lb-ft originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Audi e-tron sales to be limited to 1,000 units?

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Audi, Electric

Audi e-tron concept - Click above for high-res image gallery

Audi may not be positioning itself as a "green brand," but it's still putting a rather big toe into the environmentally-friendly waters of electric sportscars with its R8-based e-tron, which is reportedly headed for production in 2012.

As a refresher - as if you needed one - the e-tron debuted as a concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September with some truly impressive statistics: four separate electric motors with 230 kW (313 horsepower) and 4,500 Nm (3,319.03 pound-feet) of torque (sort of), which is enough to push it to 62 mph in a mere 4.8 seconds.

So, um... want one? The line forms at the rear, and you'd better not dawdle as Audi says its only planning to build 1,000 of examples. Naturally, pricing has yet to be set, but it's reportedly expected to be "above R8 levels." Duh. Regardless, with all those lithium ion batteries and their associated electronic gadgetry, we don't imagine that Audi plans to make much of a profit when it finally goes on sale in two years.

Gallery: LA 2009: Orange Audi e-tron

[Source: Autocar]

Audi e-tron sales to be limited to 1,000 units? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rendered Speculation: Pondering what an electric Audi R4 roadster would look like

Sam Abuelsamid — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:31:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Audi, Electric

At last month's Frankfurt Motor Show, Audi board member Michael Dick confirmed that a production version of the electric eTron sports car concept would be produced by late 2012. Following the show, Audi NA president Johan de Nysschen confirmed that announcement and now AutoExpress has produced a rendering of a production model. However, there appears to be some details lost in the translation. The eTron is based on the aluminum space frame of the R8 while AE says the R4 will be a smaller roadster with a chassis shared with the next generation Porsche Boxster/Cayman.

An Audi R4 has been speculated for some time, with the rumors flaring up after VW showed off the concept BlueSport in Detroit this year. It's not clear if Audi will move ahead with the larger R8-based EV sportster or a smaller machine, or perhaps both. If they do, something like this rendering would be welcome, combining elements of the BlueSport, the eTron and even the top and flying buttresses of a Lotus Elise.

[Source: AutoExpress]

Rendered Speculation: Pondering what an electric Audi R4 roadster would look like originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Frankfurt Preview: Audi to show electric concept, possibly battery-powered R8?

Sam Abuelsamid — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 09:29:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Frankfurt Motor Show, Audi, Electric

With less than two months to go before the start of the Frankfurt Motor Show, the rumor mill is heating up fast. As with other recent shows, electric and alternative drive vehicles are expected to play a big part in Germany. Audi is just one of the automakers that may show off at least a concept powered by batteries and electric motors - the big question is what platform will get the EV treatment. The most probable candidate is a mini-car based off of VW Group's "new small family" platform that was previewed with the 2007 Up! concepts.

There is, however, another long-shot possibility: an electric supercar based off the R8. This is a rumor that first cropped up last spring and was quickly shot down by Audi. However, two weeks ago Mercedes-Benz announced that it would build an electric version of its upcoming SLS gull-wing coupe. Might the cross-country rivals from Ingolstadt have an answer for that eco-friendly supercar up its corporate sleeves?

We checked with our contacts at Audi who would only say it's too early to talk about Frankfurt. If Audi has suddenly reversed course and decided to build a electric R8 concept, it will probably be mostly a styling mock-up rather than a fully functional vehicle. Of course, it's even more likely it just won't happen at all.

[Source: Automobile-magazine.fr]

Frankfurt Preview: Audi to show electric concept, possibly battery-powered R8? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Audi confirms pure electric city car in the works

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 09:03:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, Green, Audi, Volkswagen

Click above for high-res gallery of the Volkswagen up!

Audi has long been rumored to be developing an electric car and many of us concluded that it would be based on the A1 concept that the German automaker recently showed off at the Paris Motor Show. According to Audi board member Peter Schwarzenbauer, the electric car is indeed coming, though it will be based on the Volkswagen up! platform that's destined to carry the Lupo badge when it goes into production. Audi will need to work fast if it's going to catch BMW, its natural rival, which has already begun production of an electric version of the hugely popular MINI Cooper. For the Audi/VW offering, a battery pack will be mounted at the rear of the Lupo's platform, though we still have no indication of what type of battery will be used. What might the new car be named? Not sure, but we do know that A2 is available.

Gallery: VW up!

[Source: Autocar]

Audi confirms pure electric city car in the works originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 08 Oct 2008 09:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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