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Audi A7 Sportback H-Tron Quattro packs plug-in hydrogen powertrain

If you think a plug-in diesel hybrid is an expensive proposition, just wait until you hear details about the just-revealed Audi A7 Sportback H-Tron Quattro. The "H" in H-Tron, as you might guess, stands for hydrogen, so say hello to a new concept that combines a plug-in battery system with a hydrogen fuel cell. Yeah, exactly. Let's start with the numbers. On the plug-in side, the new H-Tron has an 8.8-kWh lithium-ion battery that can power the car for up to 31 miles on battery power. With electric motors on both axles – it's a Quattro, after all, but a through-the-road hybrid with electronic torque distribution management – the A7 H-Tron uses a hydrogen fuel cell and four (!) H2 tanks to offer about 62 miles per gallon equivalent. Audi says the overall fuel cell stack efficiency is "as high as 60 percent" while the electric motors operate at 95 percent efficiency. Efficiently turning all of that electricity into movement means the A7 Sportback H-Tron Quattro has a total power output of 398.3 pound-feet of torque. The 4,299-pound concept can allegedly go from 0-62 miles per hour in 7.9 seconds and has a top speed of 112 mph. The car's total range is 311 miles. The A7 H-Tron is not the first plug-in hydrogen vehicle concept. That title goes to the Ford HySeries Edge. Mazda also considered putting a hydrogen range extender in the Mazda5 plug-in van. The Audi A7 Sportback h-tron quattro It sprints from 0 to 100 km/h (62.1 mi) in 7.9 seconds and on to a top speed of 180 km/h (111.8 mph). It covers over 500 kilometers (310.7 mi) on one tank of fuel – and its exhaust emits nothing more than a few drops of water: The A7 Sportback h-tron quattro, which Audi is unveiling at the Los Angeles Auto Show 2014, uses a powerful, sporty electric drive with a fuel cell as its energy source that operates in combination with a hybrid battery and an additional electric motor in the rear. The overall electrical system power of 170 kW is transferred to both the front and the rear wheels. This drive configuration makes the emission-free Audi A7 Sportback* a quattro through and through – a new departure in fuel cell cars. "The A7 Sportback h-tron quattro is a genuine Audi – at once sporty and efficient. Conceived as an e-quattro, its two electric motors drive all four wheels," explained Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Member of the Board of Management for Technical Development at Audi. "The h-tron concept car shows that we have mastered fuel cell technology.

Audi developing EV batteries with LG Chem, Samsung SDI

Audi is continuing to trickle out more details about a future electric SUV with a range of over 311 miles, and the Four-Ringed Brand now has a deal with LG Chem and Samsung SDI to use their cells in its battery design for the upcoming EV. The two companies are also agreeing to make investments in Europe to produce and supply parts there for the vehicle. "We will optimally integrate the innovative cell modules developed with LG Chem and Samsung SDI into our vehicle architecture, thus achieving an attractive overall package of sportiness and range," Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Audi Board of Management member for development, said in the deal's announcement. Hackenberg first publicized the EV during the brand's annual press conference this year. At the time, he confirmed that the model will use the same MLB 2 platform as the Q7 and set a launch date of early 2018. The vehicle reportedly carries the internal codename C-BEV, and a concept version might show up at September's Frankfurt Motor Show. Current rumors suggest that the EV will use a 90-kWh battery pack to achieve such a long range. Three electric motors could provide a total output of 500 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. Related Video: POWERFUL BATTERY IN AUDI ELECTRIC CAR WITH CELL MODULES FROM LG AND SAMSUNG South Korean high-tech companies LG Chem and Samsung SDI to invest in European battery-cell production for Audi Battery-electric SUV with a range of more than 500 kilometers First battery-electric Audi SUV will combine sportiness and range with an emission-free driving system August 13, 2015 | INGOLSTADT, Germany -- Audi will develop the battery for a purely electrically powered sport utility vehicle on the basis of powerful cell modules from the South Korean suppliers LG Chem and Samsung SDI. The two Audi partners plan to invest in the cell technology in Europe and will supply the Ingolstadt-based car producer from their European plants. The new technology will give drivers of the Audi sport utility vehicle a range of more than 500 kilometers. "Together with our South Korean development partners, we are bringing production of the latest battery-cell technology to the EU and strengthening European industry with this key technology," stated Dr. Bernd Martens, Member of the Board of Management of AUDI AG for Procurement. The cell modules are to offer particularly high performance.

Audi R8 V10 Plus vs. Renault Clio Cup racecar will make you go hmmm...

Match up a hot hatch with a supercar of the same vintage, and we'll tell you who will win every time. It's easy, really, as the supercar invariably features a more advanced suspension, stickier tires and most importantly, more power. What if the hot hatch is race prepped, though?
In that particular case, all bets are off. A circuit-tuned suspension, a stripped-down cabin, an ultra-quick sequential transmission and the greatest equalizer of them all, slick tires, are all that's needed to turn the typical hot hatch into a proper dragon slayer.
Perhaps seeking to prove this, Evo has put together an interesting head-to-head between the Audi R8 V10 and a race-prepared Renault Clio Cup. Host Dickie Meaden takes us through each car, highlighting the bits and bobs on both sides which should make this a tight competition. And boy, is this one tight.