Audi begins electric A1 test

By Tom Phillips

09th September 2010

There’s an electric atmosphere on the roads of Munich. The German city will play host to Audi’s A1 e-tron project, which will see 20 of the range-extender petrol-electric superminis hit the road by the middle of next year.

Audi’s 20 A1 e-trons will feature an electric motor which develops 101bhp, can power the car up to speeds of 81mph and has an all-electric range of around 30 miles. When the lithium-ion batteries run flat, a boot-mounted Wankel rotary petrol engine kicks in to recharge the cells, giving a total range of 155 miles. Audi claims this equates to fuel consumption of 123.8mpg and carbon dioxide emissions of just 45g/km.

The trial will be run as an expansive partnership comprising Audi, electric provider E.ON, the Munich municipal utility company Stadtwerke München and the Technical University of Munich.

E.ON and Stadtwerke München will build 200 electric charging stations, which use electricity produced from renewable sources, to keep the fleet powered up.

Each participant will be given a smartphone which features an app to collect data about how each A1 is used. The app also monitors how they use other forms of transport, such as bikes and buses, to get around. This data will then be analysed by the Technical University of Munich.

The project has the full backing of the German Federal Ministry of Transport which has pledged funding of €10 million for electromobility in the Munich area. Audi boss Rupert Stadler confirmed that the firm was working hard to create an electric car programme that made a viable real-world alternative to a conventionally-fuelled car.

He said  “Electromobility means more to us than just electrifying conventional cars. Instead we are dedicated to a holistic approach to all aspects of the topic. We hope that this fleet trial will enable us to gain broad insights into the behavior but also the expectations of our customers regarding their dealings with electric cars.”