Hmm, my next company car? 
To be honest, as 90%+ of my driving is short urban trips, some form of hybrid would probably be ideal for me, it's just that none of the ones available thus far appeal to me really or I'd end up compromising in some way for the hybrid efficiency.
Something like this A3 e-tron would actually suit me down to the ground if it combined all the advantages of a normal A3 with the efficiency of a hybrid.
To be honest, as 90%+ of my driving is short urban trips, some form of hybrid would probably be ideal for me, it's just that none of the ones available thus far appeal to me really or I'd end up compromising in some way for the hybrid efficiency.
Something like this A3 e-tron would actually suit me down to the ground if it combined all the advantages of a normal A3 with the efficiency of a hybrid.
Sounds interesting. But 188mpg is all well and good. What about the cost of electricity? It never seems to be mentioned. It is a plug-in hybrid after all. Is the 188mpg calculated over the range of a full tank of fuel, or just over the standard (and I believe considerably manipulatable) EU tests, during which much of the time it will be battery powered (the test involves ridiculously gentle accelerations which, I would imagine, unlikely require the petrol engine to kick in)?
Well, I've done some maths. It apparently has a 8.8kWh battery, which is good for 31 miles. A kWh is about 8p during the night (economy 7), so about 70p for the full range. That's just over 2p per mile, or over 300mpg.
So, at today's electricity prices, the cost of the electricity is almost irrelevant. I can see that changing a lot if the popularity of plug-in hybrids takes off. I can imagine those who cannot afford one will love it when their household energy bills go through the stratosphere!
Well, I've done some maths. It apparently has a 8.8kWh battery, which is good for 31 miles. A kWh is about 8p during the night (economy 7), so about 70p for the full range. That's just over 2p per mile, or over 300mpg.
So, at today's electricity prices, the cost of the electricity is almost irrelevant. I can see that changing a lot if the popularity of plug-in hybrids takes off. I can imagine those who cannot afford one will love it when their household energy bills go through the stratosphere!
Can't imagine replacing that battery will be cheap when the time comes. Just something else to factor in.
No mention of the engine size either. My guess is that the 204ps and 350Nm of torque would need the battery power to achieve these figures. If you've run out of 'juice' and running on engine power only, would you have a pretty under-powered car?
It's a really interesting concept.
No mention of the engine size either. My guess is that the 204ps and 350Nm of torque would need the battery power to achieve these figures. If you've run out of 'juice' and running on engine power only, would you have a pretty under-powered car?
It's a really interesting concept.
True - I wonder what the battery cost is per mile! Having a look around the net, car manufacturers provide a decent warranty period (8-10 years, 100-150k miles), and the batteries don't seem to cost all that much (£3-5k). So less than 5p per mile, if you are unlucky enough for it to need replacing just after the warranty has run out. However, how will the performance / range diminish over time, and at what point will it be replaceably under the warranty.
According to The Telegraph, the engine is the 1.4 TSI with 148bhp. The battery has the equivalent of 75kW (about 90bhp?).
81mph top speed is on battery power alone.
Audi unveils plug-in hybrid A3 e-tron - Telegraph
Yup. Actual top speed could be up with the best in the range according to Audi.
I was quoting Audi in the opening post. Real world figures will of course be nowhere near that but should still be pretty impressive. For company car owners who want low emmissions but high performance it would be tempting.
Also, at present it would qualify for a subsidy from the gov as its a plug in hybrid. Currently this is 25% (up to £5k).
I was quoting Audi in the opening post. Real world figures will of course be nowhere near that but should still be pretty impressive. For company car owners who want low emmissions but high performance it would be tempting.
Also, at present it would qualify for a subsidy from the gov as its a plug in hybrid. Currently this is 25% (up to £5k).
