Next week's 2019 Geneva Motor Show will see German carmaker Audi unleash an array of plug-in hybrids. Check them out.
The new plug-in hybrids complement the existing Audi portfolio and while e-tron is the badge used for exclusive electric products, these will gain an "TFSI e" badging to denote electric assistance. We'll get to see new hybrid variants of the A6, A7 Sportback, A8 and Q5.
The tech looks good. There's the zero-emissions urban driving in electric-only mode and the freedom to travel long distances with the refined internal combustion engines. Based on WLTP data, Audi claims an electric-only range of more than 40 km is possible for each model. Audi reckons customers can travel around a third of their usual route under electric power. In terms of battery tech, the lithium-ion battery for the A6, A7 and A8 is made up of 104 pouch cells, which are combined in eight modules. It stores 14.1 kWh of energy at a voltage of 385 V. The lithium-ion battery in the Q5 comprises prismatic cells and has the same capacity.
The A8 L 60 TFSI e quattro uses a 3.0-litre, 6-cylinder TFSI combustion engine with a permanently excited synchronous electric motor mated to a quattro all-wheel drive setup via an 8-speed tiptronic transmission. Combined power is rated at 330 kW and 700 Nm.
The Audi A6 and A7 Sportback models with plug-in hybrid drive use the same powertrain, with a battery capacity that is identical to that of the Audi A8 PHEV, but the 3.0 is swapped out for a four-cylinder 2.0 TFSI petrol engine linked to a seven-speed S Tronic transmission. Both models are available in two output levels with different boost performance. For the 50 TFSI e, the system output is 220 kW, for the 55 TFSI e, 270 kW is on offer. Peak system torque is 450 and 500 Nm respectively.
Finally, the Q5 PHEV uses the same 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder setup and is also available in 2 states of tunes. The 50 TFSI e quattro with 220 kW / 450 Nm system output, and the 55 TFSI e quattro with 270 kW / 500 Nm.
In terms of charging, you have the option of charging at home and at public charging stations. Audi claims a charging point with an output of 7.2 kW will charge one of the above products in about 2 hours.
