A gas-powered A3 and an electric-powered A1 are Audi’s approach to the quest for zero-emissions motoring.
Both the e-gas A3 and the all-electric A1 e-tron are to begin a limited production run in 2013 as part of Audi’s carbon-cutting, environmentally friendly, ‘balanced mobility’ strategy.
The company will use specially constructed off-shore wind farms to generate the power to produce synthetic methane gas, which will then be used to fuel the A3 e-gas model. Audi also plans a 10 million euro investment in constructing a synthetic e-gas plant to supply the new cars, which should reduce wheel-to-wheel emissions by up to 85% compared to current gas power technology.
Michael Dick, Technical Development Director of Audi, explained the ambitious aims of the plan by saying, “It’s early days for the project, but in the next few months and years, eventually we’ll have a C02 neutral assessment for every new Audi”.
Many other car makers are targeting hydrogen power as the future of motoring, but natural gas is easier to produce and distribute. It is also a cleaner burning fuel than petrol, and doesn’t suffer from the weight and performance disadvantages of battery-powered electric cars.
The A3 will have an initial production run of 1,500 and will be powered by a 109bhp, 1.4-litre turbocharged engine. Performance data for the engine is broadly similar to that of the Audi A1 1.2-litre TSI petrol. There are two fuel tanks – one for gas and one for petrol – and the compressed natural gas system means that the car can, in theory, cover a range of over 250 miles. This is in addition to the extra mileage afforded by the standard petrol tank, a method similar to that of Chevrolet’s Volt.
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