Audi is starting a fleet trial test with some 20 A1 e-tron electric vehicles in the southern German city of Munich as part of a project aimed at addressing issues such as data transfer between the driver, vehicle, electric filling station and the power grid, the car maker has announced, DPA reported.
The Audi A1 e-tron has a range of more than 50 kilometres in city traffic and a peak power output of 75 kW/102 hp. A compact internal combustion engine recharges the battery when its energy is depleted. Top speed is 130 km/h. The A1 e-tron is a zero-emissions vehicle for the first 50 kilometres. The battery comprises a package of lithium-ion modules mounted in the floor assembly in front of the rear axle.
A small, single-rotor Wankel engine in this near-series vehicle increases the range in exceptional circumstances. This "range extender" powers a generator that produces 15 kW of charging power. If the range extender is used to recharge the battery, the A1 e-tron can cover an additional 200 kilometres. This represents a fuel consumption of 1.9 l/100 km which translates to a carbon dioxide emission figure of 45 grammes per kilometre.
The vehicles will take to the road by the middle of next year with around 200 charging stations to be installed around the city. All the charging stations are supplied with electricity generated from renewable energy, according to the car maker.
The fleet trial is supported by the German Federal Ministry of Transport as part of a publicly-funded project on researching transportation systems of the future.
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