Sleek, low, wide and uh oh, completely silent. Audi is strengthening its plug-in hybrid propulsion offering in Europe to five vehicles by end 2019. The lineup will include the plug-in hybrid models of A7, A8, Q5 and Q7. Audi is making the beginning with the A6 55 TFSI e-Quattro. In fact all the cars will sport the e-Quattro nomenclature as the IC engine will drive two wheels and the electric motor the other two. Audi has integrated the electric motors in the seven speed S-tronic transmission system.
Outwardly there is not much to differentiate between the A6 and the A6 Hybrid except that it has been give the s-line and black treatment with black grille and rear view mirrors. Headlights are Mtrix LED. The car interiors have been provided with sport seats, four automatic air conditioning and the Audi virtual cockpit. Audi has also installed a sport suspension with 19″ wheels. In keeping with the sporty looks and feel of the car, it has been provided with red coloured brake calipers, which are personally my favourite.
The A6 55 TFSI e-Quattro is powered by a 2.0 litres TFSI engine producing 252 PS of power. The electric motor provides another 105 KW of power taking the total system output to 367 PS. The combined propulsion systems generates a torque of 500 N-m (368.8 lb-ft) at 1,250 rpm. This powerhouse accelerates the Audi A6 TFSI 55 e-Quattro from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.6 seconds and pushes it to a top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph). Audi has installed a Li-ion battery pack of 14.1 KW-h which allows the Audi to run purely on battery for 53 KM. The system is intelligent and ensures that the car drives in all electric mode as long as possible. It also ensures that the batteries are charged up toward the last stretch of the journey, especially if it is to be done inside the city.
Audi has provided three driving modes for the Hybrid system, called, EV, Hybrid and Hold. In EV mode the car runs silently in all electric mode on batteries. In this mode, the Audi A6 TFSI 55 e-Quattro can achieve a top speed of 135 km/h. In Hybrid mode, battery management system ensures longest travel in electric mode and keeps the batteries charged for later use, optimally using the engines for maximum efficiency and range. In Hold mode, the car charges us the battery for later use.
The car comes with a mode 3 cable which can be used to charge the car completely from a 7.4 KW charger in 2 and half four hours from zero. The Audi e-tron Charging Service offers access to more than 110,000 charging points in Europe. The myAudi app is equipped with a route planner that shows where the terminals are.
The Transport Journal 