 2012 A3 | 2012 A3 e-tron Electric | 2014 A3 Sedan  | 2014 S3 Sedan |
 |  |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |  |
 |
Image credits: © Audi.
2013 Audi A3 Sportback g-tron news, pictures, and information | ||
| Tweet | ||
The new Audi A3 Sportback g-tron
• The new A3 Sportback g-tron is powered by the CO2-neutral Audi e-gas• CO2 emissions of 30 grams per kilometer (48.28 g/mile)
• Total range of 1300 km (807.78 miles)
Audi is taking a large step towards sustainable mobility wîth the A3 Sportback g-tron. The compact five-door car, due to make its debut at the end of the year, is powered by the CO2-neutral fuel Audi e-gas. The fuel will be produced in the power-to-gas plant in Werlte, Germany. This new car innovatively combines ecological balance, economy and high-tech solutions.
The Audi A3 Sportback g-tron comes wîth the full gamut of Audi's technology expertise – from ultra-lightweight technology, and infotainment, to driver assistance systems. But first and foremost it showcases state-of-the-art CNG drive technology, starting wîth the fuel storage. Its two tanks under the luggage compartment floor can each hold seven kilograms (15.43 lb) of CNG at a maximum 200 bar pressure. In tune wîth the ultra-lightweight construction concept, each tank weighs 27 kilograms (59.52 lb) less than its conventional counterpart.
The tanks consist of a new type of matrix. The inner layer consists of gas-impermeable polyamide polymer, while a second layer of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) gives the tank its extremely high strength; a third layer of glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) provides rugged protection against damage from the outside. High-strength epoxy resin is used to bind the fiber reinforced materials.
A second highlight of the Audi A3 Sportback g-tron is its electronic gas pressure regulator. This compact and lightweight component reduces the high pressure of the gas flowing from the cylinders down to around five to nine bar in two stages. It ensures that the right pressure is always present in the gas rail and at the injector valves – low pressure for efficient driving in the lower speed range, and higher when the driver calls for more power and torque.
If the pressure in the tank drops below ten bar, the engine management system automatically switches over to gasoline operation. The Audi A3 Sportback g-tron is fully bivalent, i.e. its performance figures are identical in CNG and gasoline modes.
CNG provides a range – based on standard fuel consumption – of around 400 km (248.55 miles), wîth gasoline providing another 900 km (559.23 miles) if necessary; the total range is approximately on a par wîth an Audi TDI. Two displays in the instrument cluster provide the driver wîth up-to-date information on the fuel level in each of the tanks. The driver information system also displays the current fuel consumption based on the particular operating mode.The two filler necks are placed under a common fuel flap. After refueling, and whenever it is very cold, the engine is started wîth gasoline initially, then it is switched over to natural gas as quickly as possible.
The engine is based on the new 1.4 TFSI. Key modifications relate to the cylinder head, turbocharging, injection system, and the catalytic converter. Developing 81 kW (110 hp) and 200 Nm of torque, the Audi A3 Sportback g-tron has a top speed of 190 km/h (118.06 mph), wîth 0 to 100 km/h (0 - 62.14 mph) taking eleven seconds. The five-door car consumes on average less than 3.5 kilograms per 100 km of CNG or Audi e-gas – the fuel that is generated from eco-electricity in the Audi e-gas project. CO2 tailpipe emissions are less than 95 grams per km (152.89 g/mile) in gas mode.
The greenhouse gas balance is even more attractive in a well-to-wheel analysis that accounts for all factors from the fuel source to the car's wheels. When the A3 Sportback g-tron is powered by Audi e-gas, no more CO2 is released than was chemically input in its production beforehand – creating a closed loop. When the energy required to build the e-gas facility and wind power generators is included in a comprehensive analysis, CO2 emissions are still less than 30 grams per km (48.28 g/mile).Buyers of the Audi A3 Sportback g-tron will presumably obtain the e-gas at the public CNG refueling stations via an ecological accounting method, similar to the method currently in existence for obtaining eco-electricity.
With the e-gas project, Audi is the first automobile manufacturer to develop an entire chain of sustainable energy carriers. The start of the chain has electricity produced from renewable energy sources; the end products are hydrogen and the synthetic Audi e-gas. Construction of the world's first industrial plant to produce synthetic methane (e-gas) from CO2 and renewable electricity is almost complete in Werlte (Emsland district of Lower Saxony), Germany.
The Audi e-gas plant uses the renewable electricity in the first stage for electrolysis – splitting water into oxygen and hydrogen (Audi e-hydrogen), which could one day power fuel-cell vehicles. Because there is not yet a widespread hydrogen infrastructure, however, the hydrogen is then reacted wîth CO2 in a methanation plant to produce renewable synthetic methane, or Audi e-gas. Chemically speaking, this e-gas is identical to fossil-based natural gas. As such, it can be distributed to CNG stations via the natural-gas network. Thanks to the power-to-gas process, the electricity grid and gas network are being linked bidirectionally for the first time. Úntil now while you could generate electricity from gas, the reverse was not possible. The Audi e-gas plant therefore paves the way for tapping into the natural-gas network wîth its huge capacity as a storage and transport system for hitherto excess electricity capacity.
The CO2 used in Audi's e-gas plant is a waste product from a nearby biogas plant, operated by power utility EWE. The CO2, which would otherwise pollute the atmosphere, is chemically bonded into the fuel at the Audi e-gas plant. The e-gas plant will annually produce about 1,000 metric tons of e-gas and will chemically bind some 2,800 metric tons of CO2. This corresponds roughly to the amount of CO2 that 224,000 beech trees absorb in a year.
The CO2-neutral e-gas from Werlte will power 1,500 new Audi A3 Sportback g-tron vehicles 15,000 kilometers (9,320.57 miles) every year. The power can also benefit from Audi's e-gas project, as it addresses the nagging challenge of how to store large quantities of renewable electricity produced from wind turbines and photovoltaic systems efficiently and irrespective of location. The electricity-gas cogeneration technology could significantly foster the expansion of renewable energies.Source - Audi
| Audi Goes To Le Mans Aerodynamically Optimized | |
 | ◾Aerodynamic efficiency has clearly increased in 15 years ◾Micro-tube radiator optimizes airflow of Audi R18 e-tron quattro ◾Many losses caused by the regulations have been compensated for Ingolstadt, May 16, 2013 – Five more weeks until the Le Mans 24 Hours celebrates its 90th anniversary. Over the period of 14 years, Audi has won this classic race eleven times and in doing so has consistently been delivering top performances in aerodynamics as well. They are a major reason for exce...[Read more...] |
| Audi at Le Mans: Advantage through efficiency | |
 | • 90 years of Le Mans, 15 years of Audi at the '24 Heures'
• Eleven victories at 14 runs and absolute distance record • Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich: 'Le Mans points the way to the future' Six more weeks until the Le Mans 24 Hours celebrates its 90th anniversary. Since 1999, Audi has shaped the world's most important endurance race like no other automobile manufacturer. Eleven victories in 14 events – the technological milestones set by Ingolstadt and...[Read more...] |
| AUDI LAUNCHES TITLE DEFENSE IN THE WEC | |
 | -2013 FIA World Endurance Championship starts at Silverstone -WEC season opens in UK, Europe's second-most important market -Thrilling hybrid duel expected with Toyota Ingolstadt, April 5, 2013 – Last year, Audi won the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) at Silverstone. April 14 will mark the beginning of the 'title defense' objective with the further developed Audi R18 e-tron quattro hybrid sports car at the 6-hour race on the tradition-steeped English race track. It will be the ...[Read more...] |
| Chevrolet, GMC Announce Bi-Fuel Pickup Pricing | |
 | Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra bi-fuel pickups available for order April 19 Chevrolet and GMC extended cab heavy-duty pickup trucks with a bi-fuel option will sell for $11,000 above the suggested base-vehicle price. Fleet and retail customers can place orders for the 2013 Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra 2500 HD beginning Thursday (April 19). The pickups, which run on compressed natural gas (CNG) and gasoline, have a Vortec 6.0L V8 engine that seamlessly transitions betwe...[Read more...] |
2013| Similar Vehicles | |
 | 2013 Audi A3 e-tron |
 | 2013 Audi A3 Sportback S-Line |
 | 2012 Audi A3 e-tron Electric |
 | 2011 Audi A3 e-tron Concept |
| Similar Automakers | |
| BMW | Infiniti |
| Jaguar | Land Rover |
| Lexus | Mercedes-Benz |
| Audi: 2011-2020 |
| Similar Automakers |
| Audi History |
| Other models by Audi |
| Manufacturer Website |
| Related Articles and Event Coverage |
| 2013 Geneva Salon International de l'Auto |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 80 A1 A3 A4 | A5 A6 A7 A8 | Front 225 Q3 Q5 Q7 | Quattro R15 R8 RS 7 | RS4 RS5 Sport Quattro TT | UW 220 |
| 2012 A3 | 2012 A3 e-tron Electric | 2014 A3 Sedan | 2014 S3 Sedan |
