Bartek Sikorski

Besides all the news about the new Audi A4, this has almost gone lost: the Audi Q7 will be available as hybrid in 2008, this has now officially been confirmed!
Audi will put an electric engine with 34 kW and 275 Nm next to the 3.6 FSI with 280 bhp and 375 Nm.
Acceleration from 0-100 km/h is done in 7.6 seconds, a second faster than with the ordinary 3.6 FSI, and consumption will be 9.9 liters instead of 12.7 liters on 100 km.
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Yannis

The Audi Q7 Hybrid – Concentrated Know-How

Audi possesses a wealth of experience in the field of hybrid drives – the brand with the four rings began developing hybrid cars as early as 1989. Today, the development engineers' concentrated know-how can be seen in the Audi Q7 hybrid.

The concept of the Audi Q7 hybrid is a full hybrid vehicle in parallel configuration – a concept that Audi has been pursuing for many years. This principle, in which all major assemblies are linearly situated, has great benefits compared to a series configuration, such as the concepts used by the competition. There, the complex system of electric motor, separate alternator and planetary gears has drawbacks not only in terms of weight, but also in terms of energy loss. Functions such as "sailing" (coasting without power), which parallel hybrids are able to realise, are not possible with series hybrids. In certain situations the electric motor actually has to build up braking force to regulate the driving current.

Audi's hybrid drive uses a 3.6 litre FSI V6 with an output of 206 kW (280 bhp) and a peak torque of 375 Nm. An electric motor situated in the drive train adds up to 285 Nm of additional torque. It is a matter of honour for such a supremely powered Audi to be equipped with quattro four-wheel drive, which permanently ensures a maximum of driving dynamics and road safety. Power is transmitted via a six-speed tiptronic gearbox.

The driving performance of the Audi Q7 hybrid is equal to that of a sports car. From standstill, 100 km/h is reached in just 7.6 seconds. And the pulling power is even more impressive. In fifth gear, the large SUV powers its way from 60 to 120 km/h in just 11.9 seconds. In normal driving conditions, the Audi Q7 hybrid, weighing 2,480 kg unladen, consumes on average 9.8 litres of fuel for 100 kilometres. That is 23 percent less than the basic model. The efficiency of the Audi hybrid drive can hardly be demonstrated more convincingly.

Under the bonnet, the 3.6 litre six-cylinder engine is no different from a standard engine. It is equipped with the highly efficient FSI petrol direct injection system. This enables it to develop more output and dynamism than a conventional engine with manifold injection. The V6 is characterised by a beefy torque curve right up to the rated speed, agile response and economical fuel consumption.

A number of modifications in the periphery were necessary for the 3.6 FSI to be used on the Audi Q7 hybrid. The A/C compressor, the oil pumps for the power steering and automatic gearbox and the vacuum pump for the brake booster are all electrically driven. This makes their operation independent of the combustion engine. The new electrohydraulic power steering has the advantage that it needs almost 90 percent less fuel than a conventional system. The vehicle electrical system receives its 3 kW of power from the drive battery via a voltage transformer.

The electric motor, which generates 285 Nm and 34 kW, has a diameter of 330 millimetres and a length of 55 mm. It is located between the V6 and the torque converter of the automatic gearbox. This configuration ensures maximum economy when it comes to space, allowing the complete space in the passenger cell to be used without restriction....

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Wolfgang

The technology seems to be similar to the recently announced Cayenne Hybrid. Both have 34 kW electric hybrid modules, and 69 kg NiMH battery packs in the spare wheel well. They clarified the limits up to which electric driving is possible. 50 km/h and "sailing" without combustion engine up to 120 km/h. I believe Bosch is the supplier for both the Porsche and Audi hybrid.

Bartek Sikorski

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The new - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER was not the only fuel-saving technology talked up at Audi’s TechDay 2007 seminar in Germany last week. Officials also gave details about what to expect for a new hybrid version of the carmaker’s Q7 SUV. Though still in concept form, the technology showcased at the seminar is likely to remain intact for the final production car and is also likely to be the same system that will debut in Porsche’s upcoming hybrid Cayenne SUV.
Audi will be using a parallel hybrid system with a 34kW electric motor sandwiched between a 280hp (206kW) 3.6L V6 FSI petrol engine and the vehicle’s torque converter. The electric motor provides an additional 285Nm (210lb-ft) of torque to the internal combustion engine’s 375Nm (277lb-ft). From standstill, the concept vehicle reaches 100km/h in 7.6 seconds and can accelerate from 60 to 120km/h in fifth gear in just under 12 seconds. Despite weighing 2,480kg, average fuel-consumption measures 24mpg (9.8L/100km).
A separating clutch links the three-phase synchronous motor with the engine. This makes it possible to drive the car with either of the powerplants or with both together. On electric power alone, the vehicle can travel up to 50km/h for a distance of two kilometers before the V6 engine cuts in.

Another way the hybrid Q7 saves fuel is by running the vehicle’s ancillary features such as the AC compressor, the oil pumps for the power steering and automatic gearbox and the vacuum pump for the brake booster all on electric power alone.

Bartek Sikorski

There’s no doubt that hybrid electric drives are an important part of the American automotive market. Though diesel technologies now encompass more than 50% of the European car market and are expected to grow in popularity here in the USA as new models become available, there’s no denying that hybrids are well entrenched as the frontrunner in green technologies in this market. Audi knows this, and is moving to make its own production hybrid models available. In fact, the company is so close in development that they’ve allowed a limited number of press to sample an early prototype fitted to a Q7 3.6 – the same car we were able to drive just last week in San Francisco, California.

Audi first started experimenting with hybrid technology in 1990 with the 100-based Duo Concept. More recently, a Q7 Hybrid Concept with production in mind was shown at the 2005 Frankfurt Motor Show, and just this week the company revealed the compact MetroProject quattro concept with a similar system for compact transverse engine applications.



With this sort of long flirtatious history with hybrids, it’s easy to see Audi’s continually increasing movement to embrace the technology. This movement is expected to spawn the first full production hybrid Audi, likely the Q5 and specifically for the American market, by the end of next year. More hybrid offerings are expected to follow

There may be no Q5 yet available for sampling by those outside of the restricted gates in Ingolstadt, but this prototype Q7 3.6 Hybrid was close enough to sample what Audi is doing.

This particular prototype uses an electric motor/generator placed between the engine and gearbox. An electronically controlled clutch manages interaction between the two power units.

The actual setup is fairly invisible to the casual consumer. Pop the hood and you’ll notice some differences, components clearly visible. At the rear, the Q7 Hybrid’s nickel-metal hydride battery can also be found underneath the deck lid in the trunk.

Unlike more commonly seen hybrids on the market today such as the Toyota Prius, the Audi is what Ingolstadt refers to as a “full hybrid”, having the flexibility to run on either electric power or spark ignition alone, as well as to utilize a combination of the two.

Like many hybrids today, the Audi system uses regenerative braking, which allows the car’s batteries to be charged when kinetic energy is converted to electrical power during coasting or braking that can later be used for forward propulsion.

Fuel consumption savings are to be expected. Audi benchmarks the performance of their own diesel models as the goal for consumption by petrol-based hybrids. This Q7 uses the 3.6 FSI, arguably not as efficient as the 3.2 FSI with Valvelift we’d expect to see used in the B8-based Q5 Hybrid, but the 3.6 Q7 is still reported to be 23% more efficient than its road-going non-hybrid equivalent. Audi reports 24 mpg combined for this setup – only 1 mpg less than reported for the Q7 3.0 TDI.



While driving, the system can be monitored via the Audi’s MMI screen. A diagram of the car shows the level of power stored in the battery via eight green bars while it also indicates the current source of power, be it the 3.6-liter engine or the batteries.

Our Q7 prototype also featured a German option button labeled “E-Fahren”, which alllows the driver to switch from hybrid to full-electric mode. Toggling to full electric, it’s easy to see that the Q7 wouldn’t get more than a few miles on the limited battery power it has. Experiencing stop and go traffic in the heart of San Francisco, those eight green bars disappeared quite rapidly.

That said, one would suspect a rural driver with a very short commute could travel mostly or even solely on electric power if their drive were short enough. If Audi paired this with a home plug-in module or a sunroof solar panel like that of the A8 but making use of the Q7’s expansive Open Sky setup, one might even repeatedly operate the car on electrical power with a short enough commute.

With just one motor/generator, the Q7 Hybrid cannot utilize its regenerative braking in creeping situations like our rush hour city center traffic. If the motor is being used for propulsion, it cannot also be generating. Kinetic energy is only captured when fully braking and not while creeping along with partial brake and partial propulsion.

In general, the driving experience is not far from a gasoline equivalent save the obsession with watching the car’s power management diagram – a habit that seems to afflict Prius owners as well. We did notice some roughness of transition when the car transferred from full electric power to the point where the gasoline engine would fire up. We’d guess and hope that this will be much more undetectable when experienced in a full production model.

Besides the obvious fuel savings, there are added benefits to this type of “parallel hybrid” system, where the two modes of power are utilized separately or simultaneously. Audi owners with a priority on performance will be pleased to know that the electric motor can and is used to augment the power of the Q7’s engine, making it faster than the standard Q7 3.6. The added battery power is good for an extra 52 hp under full throttle. Audi claims a 0-60 mph run for the hybrid to be 7.4 seconds. That’s .8 seconds faster than the 3.6 FSI and a full second ahead of the Q7 3.0 TDI.

Another benefit to the system’s parallel nature is the modularity of the design, meaning more flexibility on the number of models that can be fitted with such a setup. Considering what we know already based on the existence of a Q7 Hybrid and the Metroproject quattro Concept, along with the plans for launch in a Q5, one would assume Audi is close to having a hybrid drive system that could fit every model. This would include the transverse cars such as the A3, TT and upcoming A1, to the longitudinal offerings of A4, A6, A8 and Q7. Even the mid-engined R8 may not be much of a challenge to fit the hardware.

With the flexibility of this hybrid hardware combined with Audi’s core competency in diesel, one would think the natural conclusion would be for the company to produce a diesel hybrid model. In fact, Audi’s own 1996 Duo III Concept modeled just such a drivetrain.

Unfortunately, Audi executives say they aren’t considering a pairing of diesel and hybrid technologies any time soon. They point to the considerable cost of each of the two technologies that would make for a considerable premium in cost for such a model. Putting the two together in one vehicle would likely result in a diesel hybrid costing well more than their high performance equivalents.

Think of an A4 3.0 TDI Hybrid as likely to cost somewhere above the S4 and maybe closer to that of the RS 4. Granted, an augmented 3.0 TDI might not fall far from an S-car’s performance levels. Still, putting such a product into the market is most certainly a gamble and whether there is a wealthy clientele as willing to spend on being green as they are to go fast will determine if any product such as this would ever be built. For now, Audi says no, though we suspect demand by the public could most certainly help change those opinions internally. And, rival Mercedes-Benz might help cultivate that demand, having today debuted its own Bluetec Hybrid diesel concepts based on C and S-Class models and having divulged that the Stuttgart-based car company fully intended to put a diesel hybrid into production.

For now, Audis near-term hybrid plans are best envisioned by looking over this otherwise nondescript Q7. Without the graphics, the car would blend easily into traffic and motor luxuriously along with significantly better fuel economy – something we suspect green-savvy Californians would be more than happy to consider in their next car.

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Iceman

This Q7 3.6 Hybrid prototyp have the engine off the Passat R36 under the bonnet.
It's not the usual 280 hp 3.6 VR6 FSI engine used in the Q7.

Hans.

Bartek Sikorski

Audi Announces Q7 Hybrid for Late 2008

Foreshadowed two years ago in the Q7 Hybrid Concept, Audi has announced today its first hybrid system will be introduced on its largest vehicle in select markets towards the end of 2008.
Flowing through Audi's quattro all-wheel-drive transmission, the in-line or “full” hybrid system using Audi's 280hp 3.6-liter FSI petrol engine with an electric motor makes several major improvements over the standard 3.6-liter FSI. The electric motor which is powered by a 288-volt nickel metal hydride (NiMH) battery is good for an additional 51hp. Acceleration from 0-62 mph improves by 0.6 seconds to 8.5 seconds. Power rises from 233hp to 240hp, delivered at 4,000rpm, and the standard 3.6 FSI engine with its 375 Nm of torque, gets complimented by the electric motor contributing its own 285 Nm. But most importantly, this hybrid model reduces fuel consumption and C02 emissions by approximately 23 percent.
The hybrid system operates in three modes. Either petrol engine or electric motor can operate independently as the drive unit or the vehicle can combine the power of the two for acceleration. Capable of operating alone up to speeds of 30mph the electric motor is able to recharge the battery through kinetic energy generated when the vehicle is braked or coasting. During this operation, known as recuperation, the electric motor reverses its function to become an alternator.
The battery capacity allows the vehicle to be driven up to 1.2 miles on electric power only. When the battery capacity has reached it operting limit the petrol engine kicks in to recharge it. Meanwhile, coasting or regenerative braking also have the ability to recharge the battery.
From the press release below, “If the Audi Q7 hybrid is coasting without the accelerator pedal being depressed, the combustion engine is switched off – this is possible at speeds up to 74mph. It is also switched off if the vehicle remains stationary for more than three seconds. To continue the journey, all the driver has to do is to remove his foot from the brake and to depress the accelerator pedal again.”

Press Release

AUDI Q7 CHARGED WITH THE TASK OF CUTTING EMISSIONS

Petrol/electric hybrid Audi SUV waits in the wings as new cleaner, more economical TDI engine joins the range

• Updated TDI engine first seen in A5 coupe is adopted by Q7, bringing reduced emissions, increased power and torque and improved performance
• Revised Q7 3.0 TDI quattro available to order now in standard, SE and S line trim priced from £38,075 OTR to £41,475 OTR
• 240PS@4,000rpm, 550Nm from 1,750rpm to 2,750rpm, 0-62mph in 8.5 seconds, top speed 134mph, 34.9mpg, CO2 260g/km
• Working Q7 petrol/electric hybrid prototype reduces consumption and emissions by over 20 per cent – production version is expected to go on sale in certain markets towards the end of 2008

The seven-seat Audi Q7 SUV benefits from a ‘win-win’ upgrade this week courtesy of a new version of its 3.0-litre V6 TDI engine which brings lower emissions, higher power and torque and improved performance and fuel economy.

The even more efficient 2008 Model Year Q7 3.0 TDI quattro, which is also now equipped with an exhaust-cleansing Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF), is available for order in standard, SE and S line trim priced from £38,075 OTR. It forms part of a Q7 development programme which also includes petrol/electric hybrid versions that slash fuel consumption and emissions by over 20 per cent.
Featuring an advanced common rail direct fuel injection system using sophisticated piezoelectric quartz crystal technology, the upgraded V6 TDI engine benefits from enhancements that boost combined cycle fuel economy in the Q7 3.0 TDI quattro from 33.6mpg to 34.9mpg, reduce CO2 output from 279g/km to 260g/km and bring down the 0-62mph time by 0.6 seconds to 8.5 seconds. Power rises from 233PS to 240PS, delivered at 4,000rpm, and torque increases from 500Nm to an even healthier 550Nm, available from just 1,750rpm.
Diesel is of course far from the only source of responsibly delivered power to be championed by the Vorsprung durch Technik brand. As well as exploring the possibilities opened up by second generation ‘future fuels’ such as the biomass-to-liquid (BTL) SunFuel, Audi is also testing fully operational prototypes running on bioethanol (E85), CNG (compressed natural gas) and petrol/electric hybrid power.
Q7 hybrid reduces consumption and emissions by over 20 per cent
The Q7 hybrid is expected to go on sale in its first markets towards the end of 2008, combining its familiar 280PS 3.6-litre FSI petrol engine with an electric motor situated in the drivetrain powered by a 288-volt nickel metal hydride (NiMH) battery, which adds a further 51PS. The Q7 hybrid reduces fuel consumption, and therefore C02 output, by approximately 23 per cent compared with the Q7 3.6 FSI as we know it today.
Designed in a parallel configuration in which all major assemblies are arranged in line, helping to reduce weight and energy loss, the 3.6-litre FSI V6 with its 375 Nm torque peak is boosted by up to 285Nm by the electric motor. Channelled via a six-speed tiptronic gearbox and through the quattro four-wheel-drive system with asymmetric 40% front / 60% rear torque split, this joint output enables a 0-62mph acceleration time of just 7.6 seconds (standard Q7 3.6 FSI 8.5 seconds) and combined fuel consumption of 28.8mpg (standard Q7 3.6 FSI 22.2mpg). The Q7 3.6 FSI’s 309g/km output is reduced to 237g/km thanks to the electric motor and a number of revisions to ancillaries such as the power steering pump.
Fundamentally, three driving modes are possible. The FSI engine and the electric motor can each work on their own as the drive unit, or the vehicle can combine the power of the two for acceleration. In this mode, the petrol engine is responsible for basic operation, whereby it also needs to supply energy to the battery.
Recuperation conserves energy
The electric motor on the other hand can operate independently and almost inaudibly at speeds of up to 30mph, considerably reducing exhaust and noise emissions in built up areas. It is also able to feed kinetic energy back into the system and so recharge the battery when the vehicle is braked or coasting. During this operation, known as recuperation, the motor reverses its function to become an alternator.
The capacity of the NiMH battery allows the vehicle to be driven up to 1.2 miles on purely electrical power – coasting and braking feed additional energy into the system. When the capacity limit of the battery has been reached, the combustion engine is activated to recharge the battery. Through regeneration measures such as these, the Audi Q7 hybrid recuperates about 720 kWh of energy a year – approximately a sixth of what a four-person household uses – based on an average of 12,000 miles per annum.
If the Audi Q7 hybrid is coasting without the accelerator pedal being depressed, the combustion engine is switched off – this is possible at speeds up to 74mph. It is also switched off if the vehicle remains stationary for more than three seconds. To continue the journey, all the driver has to do is to remove his foot from the brake and to depress the accelerator pedal again.
Like the standard Q7, the hybrid also has space for three rows of seats and a large luggage compartment. The battery system that supplies energy to the electric motor is located in the spare wheel recess at the rear of the vehicle. Compared to earlier generations of hybrid vehicles, the electric motor and the battery are extremely lightweight. The battery weighs 69 kg and the hybrid module with the electric motor 40 kg.
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