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Audi A3 e-tron

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CHGolferJim

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Jan 28, 2014
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Chapel Hill NC
So is it an EREV or not? Personally, I was excited to learn about this PHEV now being sold in Europe and coming to North America next year. I was thinking this could be a good 2nd car with many improvements over a Volt, e.g., >100mpg for normal split electric/ICE usage, standby for some long-range trips, and easier transition for my wife out of a series of ICE minivans.

After reviewing a few articles and videos, I had it in my mind that it will be an EREV, but now I see Audi specifically denying that it is one. Is it actually an EREV, but they just don't want to be the second entry in a somewhat cumbersomely defined "class" that hasn't gone anywhere with the Volt?
 
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Right, Audi makes PHEV and don't believe in EREV. They will make a BEV down the line but right now their focus is on PHEV.

They feel the ICE engine has to directly power the wheels, and I agree with them, an EREV like the Volt has a certain amount of overhead that Audi doesn't agree with. They won't make EREV.

VW / Audi were the first brand with the direct injection turbos, so it actually makes sense from an ecological standpoint to put that power directly onto the wheel, TFSI greatly improve MPG. Basically at higher speeds you want that turbo on the wheels and not have to deal with EV overhead, otherwise the power and MPG benefit would be partially wasted.
 
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Not an EREV; the engine adds large amounts of power and can drive the car (without any electric power, maybe the only PHEV that's true of, thanks to the DSG transmission.)

Despite that, possibly the best competition for the Volt released yet. :)
Walter
 
So the A3 cannot move itself on electric only, so it's like a Prius?

Actually, the A3 can move itself on electricity alone - and so can the Prius.

As I understand it, the distinction is about the role of the engine. On the Volt and i3, the engine is distinctly secondary, there to carry the car beyond the battery's reach.

On the A3, the Energi twins, and the PiP, the engine is there to accelerate harder and go faster, as well as extend the range.
Walter
 
"Extended Range Electric Vehicle" sounds like complete marketing bull to me. it somehow conveniently leaves out the fact that these are direct carbon burning vehicles. Marketing 101 - if you can't deliver what the customer wants, then change the definition.
 
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"Extended Range Electric Vehicle" sounds like complete marketing bull to me. it somehow conveniently leaves out the fact that these are direct carbon burning vehicles. Marketing 101 - if you can't deliver what the customer wants, then change the definition.
EREV makes much more sense as a word when you think of Range Extender Electric Vehicle instead. In EREV or REEV, there is an ICE battery charger - not really a car-grade gas engine. In a PHEV the gas engine is there for driving duties as well, not just a glorified wallcharger.



And no, Audi A3 e-tron is not an EREV, but a PHEV. Audi did have an EREV concept car, though.
 
Last week I had a test drive in an A3 here in The Netherlands, accompaning an interested colleague. I wasn't impressed. The car has several driving modes, including an all electric mode. In that mode the A3 feels significantly slower than our ampera. In the fastest mode, the combined one, the A3 also felt slower than the ampera. It seems to have more horsepower, but the response isn't as fast as the one of the ampera.

The all-electric range also wasn't convincing: it appeared to be significantly less than 30 km. Off course, this was a test drive, but all other conditions were optimal.

After the test drive I let him drive our tesla. The price difference between the A3 (50k euros, including the options he wanted) and a 85 model S with tech package and pano roof (80k euros) seemed far less after the drive!
 
The all-electric range also wasn't convincing: it appeared to be significantly less than 30 km. Off course, this was a test drive, but all other conditions were optimal.
After the test drive I let him drive our tesla. The price difference between the A3 (50k euros, including the options he wanted) and a 85 model S with tech package and pano roof (80k euros) seemed far less after the drive!

Daniel thanks for your post. A 30km EV range is pathetic.

It seems the cars are comparable in terms of range and performance, but surely it would make more sense in a price comparison to use the Model S 60 without Supercharging and without pano?
 
I test drove one in Seattle yesterday.

For us, the size is perfect. I fit very comfortably in both the front and rear seats (I'm pretty average in size), and while the rear cargo area (it's a small wagon) wasn't huge, things look pretty good when you fold down the rear seats which we can do often since we don't have kids at home anymore.

Appearance, finishes, etc were all great. The cabin was kind of busy but otherwise looked nice. I didn't get to drive at high speeds, but steering feel was decent and handling was great. It starts at $37,xxx in the US. They still don't have final EPA numbers, but I'd guess somewhere around 23 miles of EV range and, say, 38mpg after that. It has an 8.8kWh battery and a 1.4l gas engine. With such a small pack it's AC charging only; I think it's about 3.8kW but the event employees weren't sure. At least it's small enough you could generally charge it empty to full overnight even on 120V.

The worst part, of course, was the powertrain. The small pack just can't provide quite enough power in EV-only mode (it's about 100hp). If you goose it, you get a delay, a jerk, and some noise...and then adequate acceleration, but not more (though I've been driving Teslas for years, so others opinions may differ). And doing that automatically takes it out of EV mode, so it will continue using the engine. We also had trouble putting it in to EV mode when we first started it up; the option was greyed out, and the guy riding with me just said "it does that sometimes".

I filled out a survey afterwards. I told them if it was a 200-mile BEV for under $50k, they'd have my money - but I will not consider the PHEV. I did note that I've been driving BEVs for years; I'm sure many ICE drivers unfamiliar with EV powertrains that are looking for a cool small car with good efficiency will like it.
 
I filled out a survey afterwards. I told them if it was a 200-mile BEV for under $50k, they'd have my money - but I will not consider the PHEV.

Same here. As much as I love VW/Audi quality (and don't anyone start about Dieselgate), I don't get why Audi doesn't produce a BEV A3 equivalent to the e-Golf. Perhaps now they will finally begin to change their minds / see the light.
 
I don't get why Audi doesn't produce a BEV A3 equivalent to the e-Golf. Perhaps now they will finally begin to change their minds / see the light.
I have a neighbor who has been driving an A3 for several years, and was hoping that Audi would build a real EV. He kept waiting, and waiting, and waiting. When I got my S he was really excited about it. Then the Tesla CPO program started up. I suggested some CPO cars to him. As of last month he is now the proud and happy owner of an S!
Audi lost a customer by dragging their feet getting an EV to market. The A3 e-Tron has such a pathetically low all-electric range I wouldn't even call it an EV
 
I had seriously considered the A3 e-tron - I owned an A3 years ago and it was one of the best cars I've owned in my life - great size, fun ride, great storage space. But what got me about the e-tron is that the battery range was just out of what I'd do on a day when I just commute to work and back - so I'd be using gas every day. Had they extended that battery just a little bit, they might have had a sale from me. Oh, well, I'm in a happy 70D place now, so no worries.
 
I am looking at it to replace my 2008 Prius, for a change of pace, but without the MPG info to see if it qualifies for me to drive it alone in the HOV lane, I'm on hold. The i3 isn't good because I have a 135 mile one way trip twice a week. The MS is perfect but $$$