Following the A3 Sportback g-tron and the A4 Avant g-tron, the Audi A5 Sportback g-tron is the brand’s third model that can run on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). It is powered by a 2.0 TFSI engine with 125 kW (170 hp) of power output and 270 Nm of torque. The new Audi, yet to enter production, has been showcased at the 87th International Motor Show which started this week in Geneva.
Compared to a gasoline-powered car in the same performance class, the Audi g-tron models cut CO2 emissions by 80 percent*. The green fuel Audi e-gas is what makes this reduction possible. This fuel is produced using renewable energy from water and CO2 or from organic residual materials like straw and plant clippings. During its production, the Audi e-gas binds exactly the amount of CO2 as is emitted by the car during combustion.
Beginning immediately, Audi customers who order the Sportback g-tron by May 31, 2018, will have access to their supply of this fuel for three years as part of the standard package. “This offer is our next step in climate-neutral, long distance mobility. Our promise to the customers is: no compromises. The g-tron models are sporty, sophisticated and progressive – like every Audi. And with Audi e-gas they are also very climate-friendly on the road,” said Dietmar Voggenreiter, Member of the Board of Management for Sales and Marketing at AUDI AG.
Early this summer Audi will further expand its product range with two new models – the A4 Avant g-tron and the A5 Sportback g-tron, and the e-gas offer as standard applies to both models. Both models will be powered by a 2.0 TFSI engine with a power output of 125 kW (170 hp). The tank module, which consists of four gas tanks with a total capacity of 19 kilograms (41.9 lb) and a 25-liter (6.6 US gal) gasoline tank, allows for a range of up to 500 kilometers (310.7 mi) when the cars are running in pure CNG mode. The overall range can reach up to 950 kilometers (590.3 mi).
Audi and its partners are producing the Audi e-gas with several processes and facilities in Germany as well as in a number of other European countries. Among other places, the brand obtains e-gas from its own power-to-gas facility in Werlte, a town in the German state of Lower Saxony. The process uses mostly excess green electricity to operate three electrolyzers, which break water down into oxygen and hydrogen. In the methanation process that follows, the hydrogen reacts with CO2. This produces synthetic methane – the Audi e-gas.
The fuel is fed into the European natural gas grid and replaces the amount of natural gas that the g-tron model consumes in the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC). The price e-gas is the same as CNG.
By feeding the computed volume of Audi e-gas into the natural gas grid, Audi works behind the scenes to ensure the green benefits of the program, including the corresponding reduction in CO2 emissions. A fuel card is no longer used as the accounting tool. Instead, Audi automatically calculates the quantity on the basis of collected data and service data from the cars. TÜV Süd, a German testing and certification corporation, monitors and certifies the process. Audi g-tron customers receive a document that confirms their car will be supplied with Audi e-gas and informs them about the certification.
* In pure e-gas mode (CNG) with a well-to-wheel analysis (a life cycle assessment that includes fuel production and normal driving of the automobile), in comparison with an equivalent model in the same performance class with a conventional gasoline engine.
Audi AG is a member of NGVA Europe and Associate Member of NGV Global.
(Source: Audi AG)
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