Audi A3 gets improved plug-in hybrid

Contents

For a long time, plug-in hybrids were difficult to use electrically. This is changing rapidly for some brands, and the Volkswagen Group is one of them. The Audi A3, which was revised this year, can now also be ordered with plug-in hybrids that make its predecessor look old in every respect. On the one hand, this was no great challenge, but on the other hand, the significantly improved A3 PHEV will have quite a hard time.

More range

We had the A3 PHEV in the editorial office three years ago. At ideal temperatures, we were able to drive a maximum of 45 km on electric power alone, with a maximum charging power of 2.9 kW. The Volkswagen Group has tweaked these key figures considerably. Instead of 10.4, the battery now has a net energy content of 19.7 kWh. The range promised in the WLTP is said to be up to 143 km. This means that this figure has more than doubled. The e-range in practice is certainly significantly lower, but should now be sufficient to cover everyday life purely electrically in more driving profiles.

Charging capacity has increased significantly

A major point of criticism to date was the lackluster charging performance, which was even lower than that of the Golf GTE in the test at the time. That is now a thing of the past: the A3 charges on alternating current with up to 11 kW, while the option of charging on direct current with up to 50 kW has been added. Audi promises a charging time of 26 minutes from 10 to 80 percent under ideal conditions. This makes possible what was previously impossible: reasonably convenient use of the electric capability in everyday life. If not charged externally, consumption in the WLTP should be between 4.9 and 5.4  liters.

Low charging capacities and poor ranges in combination with high consumption figures make plug-in hybrids particularly interesting as a model for saving taxes. This is because the following still applies to commercial registrations: the private use of a company car only has to be taxed at 0.5 percent of the list price as a non-cash benefit, regardless of how much of the journey is covered electrically. Following the abolition of the purchase premium, the number of registrations on the German market fell, while interest is growing elsewhere. This is another reason why companies such as Volkswagen and BMW are currently upgrading their plug-in hybrid models.

Current petrol engine

At the same time, Audi is renewing the combustion engine in the A3 with a plug-in hybrid. Instead of the 1.4 liter engine from the "EA211" series, the 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine is now installed, which is referred to internally as the "EA211 evo 2". It operates in the Miller cycle, meaning that the intake valves close earlier than usual, which increases efficiency. The injection pressure increases from 200 to 350 bar, the compression ratio from 10 to 11.5. Plasma-coated cylinder liners are designed to reduce internal friction, while pistons with cast-in cooling channels optimize combustion.

As in the predecessor, the system performance of both versions is scaled via the combustion engine. In the "40 TFSI e", the petrol engine delivers 110 kW as before, in the "45 TFSI e" it is 130. The electric motor is slightly more powerful, now delivering 85 instead of 80 kW in both versions. The system output is 150 or 200 kW. The top-of-the-range model therefore has 20 kW more than before. Even the base model reaches 225 km/h, while the top-of-the-range model only reaches 237 km/h.

Proud prices

It remains to be seen how successful Audi will be with the two significantly improved plug-in hybrids. The calculators have hung a mighty millstone on them. The base model already costs 44,200 euros, while the more powerful and better-equipped 45 TFSI e version costs at least 47,700 euros. Even with only minor demands over and above the standard equipment, you can quickly approach and exceed the 50,000 euro mark –. The improved A3 with plug-in hybrid may make electric use easier, but for this sum you can also drive purely electrically at Audi, not to mention interesting competitors with battery-electric drive.

(mfz)