Round 2 of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) will be held May 4 at Spa, in Belgium.

Audi Sport Team Joest wants to optimally prepare for the Le Mans 24 Hours, the pinnacle of the season for the sports prototypes. The Le Mans race will be held June 22 and 23.

Two versions of the Audi R18 e-tron quattro that, also visually, can be clearly distinguished from each other will be running at Spa.

The winners of the opening round, Loïc Duval/Tom Kristensen/Allan McNish (F/DK/GB), and the current World Endurance Champions Marcel Fässler/André Lotterer/Benoît Tréluyer (CH/D/F), will both be starting with the aerodynamic variant that was victorious at Silverstone.

This original version generates optimal downforce for track types such as the 7.004-kilometre circuit at Spa.

A third Audi R18 e-tron quattro, driven by Marc Gené/Lucas di Grassi/Oliver Jarvis (E/BR/GB), on the other hand uses an aero package that has been optimized for the high-speed Le Mans track and can be recognized by its lengthened rear section.

Audi said the comparison will not be focused on absolute lap times. Instead, the team will analyze the time differences to be expected between both models on individual track sectors.

The focal point for spectators will again be the thrilling battle between Audi and Toyota.

In addition, practical aspects of using the second body version will be reviewed and data generated for the fielding in the race at Le Mans.

Audi believes the focal point for spectators will again be the thrilling battle between World Champion Audi and challenger Toyota. In the seven races that have taken place since last June, the score is at 4-3 for the sports cars from Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm in the competition with Japan.

The Spa 6 Hours will be held on Saturday of the first weekend in May. The full race can be watched on audi-liveracing.com.

The post Audi Adding Long-Tail Hybrid e-tron For Spa Race appeared first on HybridCars.com.

In addition to the cars number 1, 2 and 3 running for the race, a fourth hybrid sports car designated as car number 4 will be testing for eight hours at the La Sarthe circuit.

Audi said this fourth car will be there to gather valuable data for the future, as Audi is preparing for a new tire generation together with partner Michelin.

As of the 2014 season, a fundamentally new set of regulations will apply to sports prototypes. The new elements include a clearly reduced tire size. The smaller dimension corresponds to the current tire dimension for LMP2 sports cars (14 inches instead of 16 inches overall width, 28 inches instead of 28.5 inches outer diameter).

Other technical aspects of the future race cars significantly differ from this year’s models as well. For the first time, the amount of energy available when the car runs in a race will become a crucial factor of the race car concept.

The aim is to successfully manage this change, which marks the most radical one in the LMP1 class to date, while ensuring maximum safety under permanent loads.

Therefore, Audi is making a race car equipped with measuring technology available exclusively for tire testing on the test day.

Aside from the racing event, this day provides the only opportunity during the year to use the circuit at Le Mans, as the tradition-steeped track primarily consists of public roads.

Audi said engineers are already in the process of simulating the aerodynamic effects and the axle loads to be expected with LMP1 race cars in 2014. Thus, the fourth R18 e-tron quattro will be running in a corresponding configuration in realistic conditions at the beginning of June.

“Our objective is to generate a database for handling the future tires that is as versatile and reliable as possible,” emphasizes Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “The tires are an absolutely safety-relevant topic. The impending technological change is fundamental. Therefore, we are providing all the data being gathered to our long-standing partner Michelin as well. Ultimately, all Michelin partner teams will benefit from this. We thank the ACO and the FIA and WEC officials who paved the way for us to nominate a fourth car. This marks a commitment to high safety in racing.”

The fourth Audi R18 e-tron quattro will be fielded under Audi Sport Team Joest’s entry and supported by a separate test team from Audi Sport. Reserve driver Marco Bonanomi is the driver of this car and will be fully concentrating on the tire tests on June 9.

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Audi of America, Inc. officially announced plans March 26 for the arrival of the all-new 2015 Audi A3 sedan.

Coming to showrooms in the first quarter of 2014, the Audi A3 sedan will offer various powertrains, including a 1.8 TFSI, 2.0 TFSI, 2.0 TDI clean diesel and the high performance S3 with a high-output 2.0 TFSI.

Audi of America also confirmed that it will be adding to the A3 family by offering the A3 Sportback e-tron, first shown at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show.

This PHEV A3 demonstrates, according to Audi, the production intent of e-tron using plug in hybrid technology, a practical first step towards electrified driving which mitigates the range anxiety concerns associated with most full battery electric vehicles.

The e-tron name denotes any Audi electric vehicle with plug-in capabilities. The A3 e-tron shown in Geneva displayed a power train with a combined 204 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque.

“The Audi A3 will set the new benchmark among entry-level luxury sedans,” said Scott Keogh, President, Audi of America. “This A3 line-up redefines the standards of its class in dynamics, efficiency, technology, craftsmanship and performance.”

The A3 model line will offer four different engine variants including the 170 horsepower 1.8 TFSI, and 150 horsepower 2.0 TDI clean diesel, and a low and high-output 2.0 TFSI used in the A3 quattro and S3 quattro respectively.

Horsepower figures for the 2.0 TFSI engines will be available closer to launch. All engines are linked to the standard 6-speed S tronic transmission.

New to the A3, the Audi drive select allows the driver to adjust throttle response, shift points, and the electromechanical steering effort. Similar to other Audi models, Audi drive select has four settings that include Auto, Dynamic, Comfort and Individual.

Audi will release at a later date fuel consumption estimates and exact on-sale dates.

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These test will include UQM Technologies’ PowerPhase systems which provide the electric drive in the e-tron.

The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research is promoting this program to demonstrate and further develop the viability of electric vehicles.

Audi will participate in the regions of Bavaria/Saxony, Berlin-Brandenburg and Baden-Württemberg, addressing different focal topics in each area.

“The key attributes of our electric motors and controllers offer the same advantages in extended-range electric vehicles as they do in electric-only applications,” said Eric R. Ridenour, president and chief executive officer of UQM Technologies, Inc. “Our higher efficiency systems provide the potential for longer all-electric mode and an overall improved fuel economy in extended-range vehicles.”

Extended-range vehicles, like the e-tron or the Chevrolet Volt, rely on the electric powertrain for propulsion and use an internal combustion engine (ICE) to charge the battery pack.

For example, the Audi A1 e-tron extended-range all-electric test-fleet vehicles use UQM PowerPhase Select 125 systems to drive the wheels at all times. The ICE in the car is used to generate electricity to extend the range as needed. The maximum all-electric range of the A1 e-tron is 30 miles, while the maximum combined range in the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) is 155 miles.

In addition to efficiently supplying power to drive extended-range and electric-only vehicles, energy is captured by the PowerPhase system through regenerative braking, returning electricity to the battery pack during deceleration and braking.

UQM offers a number of PowerPhase systems for full-electric and extended-range applications. These include the PowerPhase Select system used in the A1 e-tron, plus the PowerPhase Pro 100 and 135, along with the all-new PowerPhase HD 220 introduced this year for commercial vehicle applications.

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Marcel Fassler, Benoit Treluyer and Oliver Jarvis won the 61^st Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida in their No. 1 Audi R18 e-tron quattro – the first hybrid car to win at Sebring and in the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón.

Treluyer drove a storming final two stints. He took fuel with 20 minutes left but maintained his lead over teammate Tom Kristensen in the No. 2 Audi. Kristensen, Allan McNish and Lucas di Grassi placed second.

Rebellion Racing’s No. 12 Lola-Toyota placed third overall. Neel Jani, Nick Heidfeld and Nico Prost teamed together.

Tommy Milner passed Matteo Malucelli for the GT lead and eventual class win as Corvette Racing won at Sebring for the first time since 2009. Milner, who drove the No. 4 Corvette C6 ZR1 with Oliver Gavin and Richard Westbrook, overtook Malucelli – who went off twice in the span of a lap – in Risi Competizione’s Ferrari F458 Italia with 13 minutes remaining.

Level 5 Motorsports went 1-2 in P2 with Marino Franchitti, Ryan Briscoe and team owner Scott Tucker winning in the No. 551 Honda Performance Development ARX-03b. Tucker tied a Sebring record with his fourth consecutive class win.

Franchitti crossed the line just seconds ahead of Ryan Hunter-Reay in the No 552 Level 5 entry. Hunter-Reay drove with Tucker and Simon Pagenaud. The Greaves Motorsport trio of Tom-Kimber Smith, Christian Zugel and Eric Lux placed third.

David Ostella made a winning pass of his own to give PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports its first Sebring victory in Prototype Challenge presented by Continental Tire. Driving the No. 52 ORECA FLM09, he passed BAR1 Motorsports’ Kyle Marcelli with 28 minutes left.

Ostella drove with David Chang and Mike Guasch. The car dropped to the rear of the field after an early-race off and contact with a P1 car in the race’s seventh hour.

Alex Job Racing won for the second straight year in GT Challenge. The No. 22 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup of Jeroen Bleekemolen, Cooper MacNeil and Dion von Moltke won after dominating the race early, then taking the lead late from the No. 66 TRG Porsche that had to pit for a splash of fuel and brake adjustment.

Spencer Pumpelly, Brian Wong and Nelson Canache placed second for Flying Lizard Motorsports in the No. 45 Porsche. Sean Edwards, Henrique Cisneros and Marco Seefried were third for NGT Motorsport in the No. 30 Porsche.

American Le Mans Series Presented by Tequila Patrón

Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring

Race results:

(Lap Length 3.74 miles)

1 (1) Benoit Treluyer/Oliver Jarvis/Marcel Fassler, Audi R18 e-tron quattro 364 laps

2 (2) Tom Kristensen/Allan McNish/Lucas di Grassi, Audi R18 e-tron quattro, 364

3 (3) Nick Heidfeld/Neel Jani/Nicolas Prost, Lola B12/60 Toyota, 359

4 (4) Klaus Graf/Lucas Luhr/Romain Dumas, HPD ARX-03c, 358

5 (5) Andrea Belicchi/Mathias Beche/Congfu Cheng, Lola B12/60-Toyota, 354

6 (7) Scott Tucker/Marino Franchitti/Ryan Briscoe, HPD ARX-03b, 346

7 (8) Ryan Hunter-Reay/Simon Pagenaud/Scott Tucker, HPD ARX-03b, 345

8 (9) Tom Kimber-Smith/Christian Zugel/Eric Lux, Zytek Z11SN-Nissan, 342

9 (16) David Ostella/David Cheng/Mike Guasch, ORECA FLM09, 336

10 (17) Kyle Marcelli, Chris Cumming, Stefan Johansson, ORECA FLM09, 336

11 (18) Tristan Nunez, Charlie Shears, David Heinemeier-Hansson, ORECA FLM09, 335.

12 (13) Bruno Junqueira/Alex Popow/Duncan Ende, ORECA FLM09, 335

13 (11) Anthony Lazzaro/Ed Brown/Johannes van Overbeek, HPD ARX-03b, 335

14 (12) Jonathan Bennett/Colin Braun/Mark Wilkins, Canada; ORECA FLM09 (14, PC), 334.

15 (21) Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Richard Westbrook, Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1, 333

16 (20) Gianmaria Bruni/Olivier Beretta/Matteo Malucelli, Ferrari F458 Italia, 333.

17 (31) Wolf Henzler/Bryan Sellers/Nick Tandy, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 332

18 (27) Bill Auberlen/Maxime Martin/Jorg Muller, BMW Z4 GTE, 330

19 (29) Marc Goossens/Ryan Dalziel/Dominik Farnbacher, SRT Viper GTS-R Viper V-10, 329

20 (26) Marco Holzer/Richard Lietz/Bryce Miller, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 329

21 (19) Rusty Mitchell/Chapman Ducote/Tomy Drissi, ORECA FLM09, 326

22 (28) Dirk Mueller/Joey Hand/John Edwards, BMW Z4 GTE, 321

23 (22) Darren Turner/Stefan Mucke/Bruno Senna, Aston Martin Vantage V8, 318

24 (33) Jeroen Bleekemolen/Dion von Moltke/Cooper MacNeil, Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, 315

25 (35) Spencer Pumpelly/Brian Wong/Nelson Canache Jr., Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, 315

26 (34) Sean Edwards/Henrique Cisneros/Marco Seefried, Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, 314

27 (37) Jan Heylen/Jon Fogarty/Mike Hedlund, Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, 314

28 (36) Ben Keating/Damien Faulkner/Craig Stanton, Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, 313

29 (32) Andy Lally/Joe Foster/Patrick Dempsey, Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, 311

30 (39) Andrew Davis/Bob Faieta/Michael Avenatti, Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, 311

31 (42) Lawson Aschenbach/David Calvert-Jones/Eric Curran, Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, 309

32 (38) Pierre Ehret/Alexandre Imperatori/Brett Sandberg, Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, 309

33 (23) Pedro Lamy/Paul Dalla Lana/Billy Johnson, Aston Martin Vantage V8, 307

34 (25) Tommy Kendall/Kuno Wittmer/Jonathan Bomarito, SRT Viper GTS-R Viper V-10, 303

35 (41) Kuba Giermaziak/Carlos Gomez/Mario Farnbacher, Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, 301

36 (14) Pierre Kaffer/Mirco Schultis/Patrick Simon, ORECA FLM09, 286

37 (10) David Brabham/Scott Sharp/Guy Cosmo, HPD ARX-03b, 281

38 (40) Al Carter/Kevin Estre/Carlos de Quesada, Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, 269

39 (24) Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Jan Magnussen, Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1, 213 (Gearbox failure)

40 (30) Leh Keen/Bill Sweedler/Townsend Bell, Ferrari F458 Italia, 209 (Accident)

41 (6) Chris Dyson/Guy Smith/Butch Leitzinger, Lola B12/60-Mazda, 81 (Electrical)

42 (15) Andy Meyrick/Olivier Pla, DeltaWing LM12 Elan, 10 (Engine)

Race Statistics

Winners’ average speed: 113.416 mph

Time of Race: 12 hours, 0 minutes, 11.638 seconds

Margin of Victory: 7.679 seconds

The post One-Two Win For Audi’s Hybrids At Sebring appeared first on HybridCars.com.

According to Audi, the A3 with CoD technology will return fuel economy figures of up to 60.1mpg. Capable of making a near seamless switch between two cylinder and four cylinder operation in as little as 13 milliseconds, this system allows the A3 to cruise ultra-frugally, but also immediately draw on full power when required.

In the UK, CoD models carry a premium of £850 over their continuing 1.4 TFSI 122PS equivalents in both ranges, positioning them as attractive alternatives to the 2.0-litre TDI variants.

The A3 Sportback returns 58.9mpg. In all versions, an engine start-stop system cuts in when the cars are waiting at traffic lights and junctions because no-cylinder operation is even more efficient than two-cylinder operation.

Audi’s cylinder on demand technology made its debut in a similar form last year in the S6, S7 Sportback and S8. The technology was also installed recently in the new RS 6 Avant and RS 7 Sportback.

When applied to the four-cylinder TFSI engine, it shuts down the second and third cylinders under low and intermediate loads and when coasting. In order for it to do this, engine speed must be between 1,400 and 4,000 rpm.

Deactivation of the cylinders is done with sleeves called cam elements, each of which carries two different cam profiles. When the sleeves are slipped over the camshafts through the use of electromagnetic actuator, the zero-lift profiles rotate over the exhaust and intake valves. They don’t actuate the valves; the valve springs hold them closed. Injection is deactivated at the same time. Efficiency in the active cylinders 1 and 4 is increased, however, because the operating points shift toward higher loads.

As soon as the driver needs strong acceleration by pressing hard on the gas pedal, the sleeves are pushed back and the deactivated cylinders are activated again.

All of these switching operations take place in 13 to 35 milliseconds, depending on engine speed, and are carried out virtually imperceptibly thanks to manipulation of the injection system and the throttle valve and modifications to the engine bearings, the dual-mass flywheel and the exhaust system.

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Audi said the race at Sebring is staged under special circumstances for the German company: the merger of the two U.S. championships, the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) and GRAND-AM, sees new regulations coming into force from 2014.

In the future, no Le Mans Prototypes (LMP) of the top category can compete in this race.

As a result, events come full circle for Audi in Florida: in 1999, the brand’s first LMP sports car celebrated its premiere at Sebring – now two LMP1 sports cars with the four rings provisionally contest a race there for the final time.

Audi Sport Team Joest fields two Audi R18 e-tron quattro prototypes. The current World Endurance Champions and Le Mans winners Marcel Fässler (CH) and Benoît Tréluyer (F), who are supported by Oliver Jarvis (GB) at Sebring, drive an R18 from 2012. Lucas di Grassi (BR), Tom Kristensen (DK) and Allan McNish (GB) start in the new R18 e-tron quattro from 2013, which celebrates its race premiere at Sebring.

The Sebring race track is located on a former military airfield, which Audi transforms into the ‘home of quattro’ this year and therefore picks up the threads of a successful chapter of motorsport history: for the first time since 1989, when drivers like Hans-Joachim Stuck and Walter Röhrl raced from victory to victory with the Audi 90 quattro in the IMSA-GTO series, Audi Sport contests a factory event in the USA with a racecar equipped with four-wheel drive.

The Audi R18 e-tron quattro is the first hybrid sports car to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Its front wheels are powered electrically and thus make the R18 a special type of quattro.

After Audi customer racing’s winning start to the season with the one-two finish for the Audi R8 GRAND-AM in the 24-hour race at Daytona, Audi now targets another victory in the USA – despite difficult conditions as the race cars from the American Le Mans Series enjoy several advantages with regard to weight and engine power.

In the 13 outings to date in the sports car classic at Sebring, Audi has claimed 22 podium finishes, including ten overall victories. Three Audi drivers, Michele Alboreto/Dindo Capello/Stefan Johansson, mounted the podium at the premiere on March 20, 1999. The Dane Tom Kristensen is the race’s most successful driver with six wins. Marco Werner holds the lap record at Sebring, the trio Dindo Capello/Tom Kristensen/Allan McNish the distance record.

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The German company said it is taking the opportunity to influence the entire value chain of one of its most important materials – one of the objectives of Audi’s corporate-responsibility strategy.

“As a pioneer for lightweight construction, we are very interested in establishing a global standard for sustainable aluminum. This will allow us to further improve the environmental impact of our cars by using certified aluminum in the future,” explained Dr. Bernd Martens, Audi’s Board of Management Member for Procurement, with regard to joining the Aluminum Stewardship Initiative.

The Aluminum Stewardship Initiative was founded in the autumn of 2012 and aims to develop a sustainability standard for aluminum by the end of 2014, with the support of the environmental organization IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). It sets environmental and social criteria that apply to all stages of extracting the raw material as well as producing and processing aluminum.

“Active responsibility is firmly anchored throughout our company. Also in our supply chains, we place priority on the integration of environmental protection and social responsibility,” emphasized Dr. Martens.

The Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) is a unique aluminium value chain program that will define and deliver the first global standard for aluminum sustainability. Under the coordination of the IUCN, it was initiated by leading players on their respective markets: AMAG/Constancia Flexibles, Amcor Flexibles, Constellium, Nespresso, Rio Tinto Alcan and Tetra Pak.

IUCN said the ASI Standard will define environmental, social and governance criteria that can be applied to all stages of aluminum production and transformation. It will also consider how recycling and material recovery from products that contain aluminum can contribute to improving the metal’s efficiency and minimizing its environmental and social footprint. The ASI Standard will be supported by a Chain of Custody system, which will aim to assure the provenance of aluminum.

The new standard fits with Audi’s holistic approach to product responsibility: The premium manufacturer said it not only ensures that its automobiles are highly fuel efficient, but also analyzes the environmental impact of its products over their entire life cycles – from the extraction of raw materials to production to operation to recycling.

For each new model series, Audi has a certified environmental analysis prepared in order to assess the impact on the environment; the objective is to reduce it compared with each model’s predecessor.

For example, the company said it has been able to demonstrate that both the current Audi A6 and Audi A3 have improved in all relevant environmental categories. The new Audi A3 has a better environmental footprint than its predecessor right from the first kilometer. In addition to sustainable materials and manufacturing processes, ultra-lightweight construction plays an important role.

Audi dais it has positioned itself as a pioneer for lightweight construction. At the Frankfurt Motor Show 20 years ago, the brand presented the Audi Space Frame, a shimmering silver show car with an unpainted body made of polished aluminum. In 1994, the first Audi A8 went into series production. The car was based on a unitary aluminum body with a weight of just 249 kilograms (540 pounds).

With its ultra-lightweight construction today, Audi said it applies an intelligent material mix – according to the motto of “the right material in the right place in the minimum required quantity.”

Lower weight enhances driving pleasure, improves safety, and has less impact on the environment.

Every kilogram saved means less fuel is consumed and less CO2 is emitted.

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Named A3 Sportback g-tron by Audi, the natural gas vehicle showcases what Audi qualifies as state-of-the-art CNG drive technology, starting with the fuel storage. The vehicle has two tanks, located under the luggage compartment floor. Each can hold seven kilograms (15.43 pounds) of CNG.

In tune with the ultra-lightweight construction concept, each tank weighs 27 kilograms (59.52 pounds) less than its conventional counterpart.

The tanks are made of a new type of matrix. The inner layer consists of gas-impermeable polyamide polymer, while a second layer of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) gives the tank its high strength; a third layer of glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) provides rugged protection against damage from the outside. High-strength epoxy resin is used to bind the fiber reinforced materials.

Another technical highlight of the Audi A3 Sportback g-tron is its electronic gas pressure regulator. This compact and lightweight component reduces the high pressure of the gas flowing from the cylinders in two stages.

This ensures that the right pressure is always present in the gas rail and at the injector valves – low pressure (five bar) for efficient driving in the lower speed range, and higher (nine bar) when the driver calls for more power and torque.

If the pressure in the tank drops below ten bar, the engine management system automatically switches over to gasoline operation.

The Audi A3 Sportback g-tron has identical performance whether running on CNG or gasoline.

CNG provides a range – based on standard fuel consumption – of around 400 km (248.55 miles), with gasoline providing another 900 km (559.23 miles) if necessary; the total range is approximately on a par with an Audi TDI.

Two displays in the instrument cluster provide the driver with up-to-date information on the fuel level in each of the tanks. The driver information system also displays the current fuel consumption based on the particular operating mode.

The CNG and gasoline filler necks are placed under a common fuel flap. After refueling, and whenever it is very cold, the engine is started with gasoline initially, then is switched over to natural gas as quickly as possible.

The engine is based on the new 1.4 TFSI. Key modifications relate to the cylinder head, turbocharging, injection system, and the catalytic converter.

Developing 110 horsepower, the Audi A3 Sportback g-tron has a top speed of 190 km/h (118.06 mph), with 0 to 100 km/h (0 – 62 mph) taking eleven seconds.

The A3 Sportback g-tron will be available at the end of the year.

Audi producing its own CNG

With the e-gas project, Audi said it is the first automobile manufacturer to develop an entire chain of sustainable energy carriers.

The start of the chain has electricity produced from renewable energy sources; the end products are hydrogen and the synthetic Audi e-gas, which can be used in the same way as CNG.

According to Audi, construction of the world’s first industrial plant to produce synthetic methane (e-gas) from CO2 and renewable electricity is almost complete in Werlte (Emsland district of Lower Saxony), Germany.

The Audi e-gas plant uses the renewable electricity in the first stage for electrolysis – splitting water into oxygen and hydrogen (Audi e-hydrogen), which could one day power fuel-cell vehicles.

Because there is not yet a widespread hydrogen infrastructure, however, the hydrogen is then reacted with CO2 in a methanation plant to produce renewable synthetic methane, or Audi e-gas.

Chemically speaking, this e-gas is identical to fossil-based natural gas. As such, it can be distributed to CNG stations via the natural-gas network.

The CO2 used in Audi’s e-gas plant is a waste product from a nearby biogas plant, operated by power utility EWE. The CO2, which would otherwise pollute the atmosphere, is chemically bonded into the fuel at the Audi e-gas plant.

The e-gas plant will annually produce about 1,000 metric tons of e-gas and will chemically bind some 2,800 metric tons of CO2. This corresponds roughly to the amount of CO2 that 224,000 beech trees absorb in a year.

The CO2-neutral e-gas from Werlte will be enough to power 1,500 new Audi A3 Sportback g-tron vehicles over a distance of15,000 kilometers (9,320.57 miles) every year.

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The company said it is working intently to electrify the drivetrain using plug-in hybrid technology.

To demonstrate this, the brand with the four rings is showing the Audi A3 e-tron at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show.

The close to reality concept car has a total of 204 horsepower of drivetrain power. In Audi’s words: “sporty performance is guaranteed.”

Audi said the A3 e-tron is “a true Audi”. The company supports this claim by saying the A3 e-tron sprints from 0 to 100 kilometer per hour (62.14 mph) in 7.6 seconds on its way to a top speed of 222 kilometer per hour (137.94 mph).

According to the ECE standard for plug-in hybrid automobiles, the five-door model consumes on average just 1.5 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers (156.81 US mpg). In pure electric mode, the Audi A3 e-tron reaches a top speed of 130 kilometer per hour (80.78 mph) and has a maximum range of 50 kilometers (31.07 miles).

The combustion engine is a modified 1.4 TFSI producing 150 horsepower. A clutch links the TFSI engine to an electric motor with an output of 75 kilowatt. The disc-shaped electric motor is integrated into a newly designed six-speed e-S tronic, which transfers the power to the front wheels.

The electric motor delivers its peak torque from start to around 2000 rpm, and the TFSI’s maximum pulling power is available in a range from 1,750 to 4,000 rpm.

Audi said the A3 e-tron can be driven with just the combustion engine, just the electric drive or in hybrid mode. The driver can choose to have both electric and combustion engine active at the same time, for a “boosting” effect; when the driver lets go of the accelerator, they both deactivate temporarily (“gliding”). In this way motor braking torque is eliminated and efficiency increases.

At the Geneva Motor Show, the Audi A3 e-tron will provide a realistic glimpse into the way Audi sees the future of mobility.

The German company stated that the electrification of the drivetrain, above all using plug-in technology, plays a deciding role in the strategy of the brand.

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