Audi loves using its handsome A7 fastback as the foundation for freaky experiments–witness the self-driving RS7 that blasted to 150MPH at Hockenheim with nobody at the wheel. This week at the L.A. Auto Show, Audi showed off its latest riff, a plug-in hybrid fuel-cell A7 named H-tron Quattro that performs like a regular gas-powered sedan, but emits only water vapor. The zero-emission future doesn't have to be dull.
The H-tron Quattro concept's motors draw electricity from either a fuel cell or a battery pack charged from a household outlet. The hydrogen-powered half mounts a 300-cell, platinum-catalyzed power unit under the hood, kicking out up to 360 volts. The only moving parts are a turbo that forces air into the fuel cells to supply oxygen, a recirculation fan to recycle unused hydrogen, and a coolant pump. Able to turn up to 60 percent of the hydrogen's stored energy into forward momentum, the fuel cell's efficiency obliterates the best that internal-combustion engines can muster.
The plug-in half of this hybrid equation comes in the form of an 8.8 kWh lithium-ion battery below the trunk floor. Charged up after four hours plugged into a (European 220-volt) household outlet, supplemented by energy captured from regenerative braking, this battery provides up to 31 miles of all-electric cruising range in addition to what the hydrogen fuel cell provides.
All that electric power is routed to two electric motors, one at each axle for all-wheel drive, hence the Quattro name. Each motor kicks out up to 114 kW (roughly 153 horsepower) and 200 lb.-ft. of torque on whatever the equivalent of "overboost" is for electric cars, helping hustle the 4,300-lb car along.
What's it all add up to? Audi says the H-tron Quattro will accelerate to 62 MPH (100 km/h) in 7.9 seconds, on the way to a respectable 112 MPH top speed. A full tank of hydrogen–about 11 lbs of the stuff, the energy equivalent of 5 gallons of gas–will carry the fastback more than 310 miles, Audi figures. And of course, the only thing emitted from the tailpipe is water vapor. Since the exhaust system is only charged with handling a bit of moisture, it's made of plastic for weight savings.
Audi hasn't committed to bringing the car to market, saying only that, "we are in a position to launch the production process as soon as the market and infrastructure are ready." But the H-tron shown at the L.A. Auto Show wasn't just show-floor dressing: Audi drove press members around the streets of L.A. in the H-tron, which looks identical to the standard car aside from its large door labels and the hydrogen filler neck in place of the traditional gasoline one. Sure, it's no road-searing RS7, but with real-world range and performance that doesn't penalize you for being green, the H-tron shows that the gasless future of driving doesn't have to suck.
from Car and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/nSHy27
Put the internet to work for you.
No comments:
Post a Comment