There’s a definite trend of increasing battery size and electric range in successive PHEV models. Take the Audi A3 TFSI e as an example. It used to have 62km of range but its successor, the A3 40 TFSI e, is closing in on 150km. That means it has one of the largest electric-only ranges of any PHEV.
The new Audi A3 debuted earlier this year, followed by a saloon version, S3 and RS 3 variants, and now the new plug-in hybrid 40 TFSI e model. This, says Carbuyer UK, is just as important.
Clearly a bigger battery is key to this increase in range, packing a 25.7kWh (19.7kWh usable) pack. It shares this with the Volkswagen Golf and Tiguan PHEVs, all three on the same platform with a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine at their core. The 141km range is among the longest of any PHEV currently on the market.
The battery powers an 85kW electric motor that’s incorporated in the A3’s six-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. Engine power alone is 130kW. The electric motor can power the A3 up to speeds of 140km/h before the engine kicks in. Total system output is 150kW, the same as the Golf eHybrid. Zero to legal takes 7.4sec, and it can coast with the engine switched off.
The battery can accept charging speeds up to 50kW DC, so a 10 to 80 per cent recharge takes under half an hour.
For those with regular access to a charger, fuel use will be next to nothing (0.4L/100km, 9g CO2/km). That means driving only in EV mode essentially which should be quite possible for many owners.
Expect this model here next year, probably in Q2.
