By Mark Hacking
Auto123.com
Neustadt, Germany — With environmental issues weighing heavily on the world's collective mind, the methods with which to deal with climate change and dwindling resources are becoming more and more critical.
As recently as a year ago, automobile manufacturers seemed to be hedging their bets and playing coy; they recognized their role in developing more eco-conscious vehicles, but seemed unwilling or unable to land on a definitive direction for their efforts.
These days, though, the consensus is that alternative fuel will eventually come from a variety of sources. This understanding paves the way for hybrids, electric vehicles, fuel cells, diesels, biodiesels, as well as cars powered directly by hydrogen, natural gas, ethanol and bioethanol. (Or a mind-boggling combination of all of the above.)
While it's clear that various manufacturers are dipping their toes in a number of different alternative fuel pools, it's still extremely rare for an automobile company to invite journalists to look at what they're "thinking" of putting into production. It's rarer still for said company to let people drive these "pre-pre-production vehicles" and form their own opinions.
But such was the case recently when Audi invited journalists to their proving ground in Neustadt, a top-secret facility located close to their corporate headquarters in Ingolstadt.
Class in session
After signing in at the guard stand — and leaving all our photographic equipment behind — we drove towards the building that would serve as mission control for this peek into the future. Along the way, we marveled at the sheer scope of the proving grounds: there were numerous areas for skid pads, a two-lane road that snaked through a forested section and, most impressively, a high-banked oval used for high-speed testing.
The Audi Tech Day turned out to be a combination of classroom lectures and hands-on testing of the vehicles that corresponded to the lessons being taught. Although the "glamorous" subject matters revolved around alternative fuel solutions, there were also insights into how Audi is making incremental improvements to their existing vehicles to make them more efficient and eco-friendly.
One of the key challenges for automakers is in balancing how to better protect the environment without compromising what the car owner has become accustomed to in his or her daily driver.
Vehicle weight is a fine example. Anyone who has prepared a race car knows that an immense amount of weight can be saved by removing such elements as the air conditioning system, the power window motors and sound insulation. But who would want to drive a car that didn't possess these conveniences?
Accident protection is another example. One of the main reasons why vehicles are heavier than ever is that they are built more strongly and are better able to withstand impact forces from an accident. This weight penalty can be offset by the use of super-strong, lightweight materials — such as aluminum, used by Audi for the A8, TT and R8 — but then the cost of the vehicle skyrockets.
In essence, people want it all: A safe vehicle with all the conveniences that also manages to be very efficient and environmentally-friendly. It's a major task.
The fruit of their labours
In response to the challenge, Audi has been working away on many different fronts. For example, we learned of a more efficient air conditioning system that's found in the new Audi A5, a system that saves approximately 0.2 litres of fuel per 100 km over the unit found in the A6.
Audi also introduced their "e-models" — a line of more efficient diesel engine-powered cars that employ weight-saving measures, aerodynamic tweaks and transmission modifications to achieve improved fuel economy and lower emissions.
In driving one of the e-models, an Audi A3 with a 1.9-litre TDI engine, I came away impressed with its performance — it seemed equal to any of the other small diesel engines that are so popular in Europe. The A3 was spirited and fun to drive, running out of breath along the test track only as speeds went beyond 160 km/h.
Another car that seemed ready and willing to tackle everyday driving duties was an Audi A5 with a 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder, converted to run on compressed natural gas (CNG). CNG produces approximately 20% less carbon dioxide emissions than gasoline and is significantly cheaper in some markets, notably Germany.
An innovative packaging job sees this A5 fitted with four different CNG tanks, in addition to a 14-litre back-up gas tank. Under power, the turbo produces a not-that-inspiring 161 hp, but once up to speed the Audi easily powered along the top lane of the high-banked oval with ease. Another impressive effort.
Headed for production
Of all the other alternative fuel vehicles at the proving grounds, the one garnering the most attention was the Audi Q7 Hybrid. Slated for release in Europe in 2008 — and possibly North America in 2009 — this SUV uses a parallel hybrid system (the most common form of hybrid) that meshes with the 3.6-litre V6 with little modification needed.
The gasoline engine develops 280 hp and 277 lb-ft of torque, while the electric motor adds as much as 210 lb-ft of grunt under acceleration. That's plenty to get the big Q7 hustling down the road — a run from 0-100 km/h takes an estimated 7.6 seconds — and generating approximately 23% better fuel efficiency.
While the Q7 Hybrid will likely find a market with the types of customers who would also favour the Lexus RX 400h, it's debatable whether it has more of a future than the company's other alt-fuel offerings. In particular, questions over battery life and disposal have still not been answered with any degree of certainty. These issues, combined with the much higher cost of entry for hybrid buyers, serves to still cast doubt over how big a part of the alt-fuel market will be comprised of hybrids.
On the other hand, Audi looks set to further exploit one of their key strengths: diesel engines. Fresh off winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the second year in a row with the diesel-powered R10 racer, Audi is about to produce a fleet of cleaner-burning diesel engines (beginning in mid-2008 for Europe) that will eventually make it to these shores.
These new engines are essentially the existing Audi TDI (turbodiesel with direct injection) powerplants with modified injection and turbocharger systems, as well as two separate emissions treatment stages. The first stage sees the use of a sensor to reduce nitrous oxide emissions, while the second stage uses another sensor that injects a cleansing solution called AdBlue to the exhaust gases. Net effect: a cleaner-burning Audi diesel with close to 90% less nitrous oxide emissions.
These new diesel engines are so environmentally-friendly, they will meet the strict California emissions standards. This fact, combined with the pleasing characteristics of the modern diesel engine (excellent torque, reduced engine noise and reduced smell), bodes well for Audi's efforts to help popularize diesel technology in North America.
New ways of going green
Here's an interesting point: Research cited by Audi has indicated that driving behaviour can influence fuel consumption by up to 30%. In a nutshell, you can have the most fuel efficient vehicle on the market, but if the driver has one foot to the floorboards at all times, consumption figures likely won't be that impressive.
Many years ago, the Volkswagen Rabbit featured an upshift indicator in the instrument panel. This arrow symbol lit up when it was recommended that the driver shift into a higher gear to save fuel. The feature was wildly unpopular and it disappeared a few years late. Now it's back — and it's joined by some even more intrusive "driver aids".
Another A5 test car was fitted with all manner of efficiency-minded information for the instrument panel. By scrolling through the information, the driver could, for example, plan a trip along the Autobahn at a certain speed, then learn how much time he could save by driving 10 km/h faster or fuel he could save by driving 10 km/h slower.
This car also featured something called the "Eco Trainer"; on-board tips on how to save fuel by, for example, closing the windows or turning down the air conditioner. The shift-indicator feature was part of this system; it showed the proper gear to generate maximum fuel efficiency in a bright image in the centre of the instrument panel.
At the end of a car trip, the Eco Trainer also provides a report for the driver on what they could do to save fuel on future trips, such as brake more gently and downshift only at low engine speeds.
While this system would likely generate results, it had two drawbacks. First, there was so much information to scroll through and view, it distracted from the task at hand — namely, driving. (Down the road, the Audi technician seated next to me suggested, these "driver hints" could be transmitted through vibrations in the steering wheel or pedals.)
Secondly, the system sucked all the fun out of driving the car by directing the driver to keep the car below about 2500 rpm at all times. This solution would seem to be extremely preachy; it's highly debatable whether any driver would welcome this kind of "coaching" at such regular intervals.
In conclusion...
The Audi Tech Day highlighted the fact that the chances of success of any given alternative fuel solution are, by and large, outside the control of the manufacturers.
There's little question that Audi can produce a hybrid or a biodiesel or a CNG-powered vehicle that could meet the demands of the average commuter. The question is: Which form of alternative fuel will governments around the world support? Will the refueling station on the corner offer natural gas or biodiesel or bioethanol?
Another question revolves around the relative cost of a particular alternative fuel compared to traditional gas or diesel. These costs vary by market and, of course, can also fluctuate wildly according to any number of global issues.
In the near term, while the resources are still available, solutions such as the new Audi diesels seem the best bet; they simply become more and more impressive all the time. At the same time, manufacturers must regularly introduce greater efficiencies — such as the new Audi air conditioning system — and lighter-weight materials, yet still work on keeping costs under control.
Further down the road, as oil reserves become exhausted, bigger and better solutions will be needed.
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