Audi A3E

Luxury automaker Audi announced a battery-electric A3 called the e-tron at TED2012 in Long Beach, CA. today - but you can’t get one, not yet, anyway. The A3 e-tron pilot program will take place in the San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and Denver markets, where Audi engineers and technical experts will explore EVs in a real world-setting and monitor how e-tron technology operates in everyday use.


Carbuyers have increasingly become more receptive to electric vehicles as the Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf and other made their public debuts in recent years, and this is Audi’s first foray into the field. By studying e-tron use across multiple geographical regions, Audi will monitor the effect of climate conditions, driving patterns and energy performance and use insight gained in the final development of future EV technology applications, and base whatever, if any, electric vehicle it eventually produces partially on this data.

That’s when you can, in theory, think about buying one.

The pilot will run throughout the year, Audi says.

“As part of the long-range Audi corporate goal of moving toward CO2-neutral mobility, there will be e-tron plug-in vehicle products exhibiting all of the performance and design attributes Audi drivers have come to expect,” said Johann, President of Audi of America. “Audi is committed to refining Audi e-tron technology and we expect our plug-in vehicles to become a significant choice for our buyers within a growing line of advanced, efficient Audi powertrains over the coming years.”

Based on the award-winning Audi A3, currently sold to U.S. consumers in gasoline-powered and clean diesel TDI configurations, the Audi A3 e-tron features a fully electric powertrain with a 26kw lithium-ion battery, and zero driving emissions. Providing a sporty driving dynamic, Audi A3 e-tron has 199 lb-ft torque, a battery range of approximately 90 miles and a top speed of 90 mph, all while retaining the full interior space and versatility of the A3.

Audi also is working on standardizing peripheral technologies that have to be taken into consideration for wide spread EV adoption and use, including the setup and running of “stations” where you can charge up a car away from your home or office. Otherwise, long-range trips aren’t possible unless you buy two cars, one electric one and one hybrid or gas-only vehicles if you want to drive, say, cross-country.

Source - NY DailyNews