Audi working on A3 Hybrid with TwinDrive
Volkswagen Golf TwinDrive - Click above for a high-res image gallery
Last summer, Volkswagen introduced the world to its new TwinDrive hybrid technology, which paired an electric motor connected to the rear wheels with a small turbodiesel engine that powered the front wheels. The all-wheel drive hybrid powertrain is currently being tested in VW's latest Golf model, and a new report from Autocar in the UK suggests that Audi is working on installing the fuel-saving bits in its next-gen A3 as well, with the goal of getting the car in fleet use by 2012.
The internal combustion engine portion of the drivetrain will consist of a 1.6L turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which will power the front wheels only while a 30kW electric motor will feed electrons provided by a 12 kWh lithium ion battery pack to the rear wheels. The car will feature plug-in capability, naturally, and a full charge will reportedly allow for an EV-only range of 31 miles. All told, average fuel consumption is pegged at over 113 miles per gallon equivalent, though that's likely on the EU combined cycle and can't be directly compared with U.S. EPA figures.
Gallery: MK VI Golf Twin Drive
[Source: Autocar]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Pudge 2:13PM (5/06/2009)
Thank God we are finally getting some real competition for Toyota in the small hybrid market. This car and the Hyundai BLUE-WILL look like promising alternatives to the Prius (which is a great car, don't get me wrong). The more choices, the better the options (and prices) will be for the consumer.
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Think Green 2:39PM (5/06/2009)
my next car !! hope they get it to the US sooner than later...
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Kumar 2:40PM (5/06/2009)
This type of car would be ideal for my daily commute and random inter-city road trips.
I go about 20 miles round trip to work every day, and work in 3-5 hour road trips several times a year.
I wonder if there will be a driver activate AWD mode that can be used in bad weather? If so, it would be a winner for me.
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paulwesterberg 3:33PM (5/06/2009)
Regen braking would work better with the electric motor in front.
Winter driving in EV mode would work better with the electric motor in front.
We need porsche to implement a twindrive system the right way.
113 mpg? How is that calculated - with the battery fully charged?
Are they taking into consideration the electricity used?
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Chris M 6:22PM (5/06/2009)
Ironically, Porsche is more likely to implement it with electric front/gas rear, considering that they already make rear and mid engine cars.
vw junky 3:37PM (5/06/2009)
YES YES! Diesel and Electric! Whoo hooo!
of couse this will never reach the US.
Too bad.
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PeterG 3:39PM (5/06/2009)
All fun and games till you see the Volt like price of ~$40000...
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Kumar 4:33PM (5/06/2009)
Possibly, but if the system is designed to take advantage of the current structure of the car (possibly explaining the use of the electric motors in the back), then VW/Audi could achieve some significant cost savings.
It's probably better to think of this as a different implementation of the mild hybrid cars like the Saturn greenlines.
3PeaceSweet 4:53PM (5/06/2009)
Take 2 cylinders off the ICE and integrate another 30kW electric motor in with it.
One of the picures shows 2 electric motors (one to act as generator) and an ICE powering the front wheels?
Is the description correct?
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Chris M 6:28PM (5/06/2009)
I suspect that they are using a powerful motor/generator attached to the engine, both to act as a super starter motor, and for extra regenerative braking. It could also act as a generator to provide power for the rear motor, but I'm not certain that would be necessary.
Michael Hippenhammer 12:42PM (5/07/2009)
I have been designing in my head how to put a round litium battery pack to fit in the spare tire area of my Beetle TDI and an in wheel hub motor/regen set up in the back. It is a very simple set up not perfect but, can't see why it wouln't work.
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