Audi has taken to the stage at this year’s TED2012 Conference in Long Beach, California to announce its first e-tron pilot program for the U.S.
Audi will be deploying a fleet of all-electric A3 hatchbacks in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and Denver later this year to test the hardware underpinning its future electric vehicle efforts. The automaker hasn’t announced how many A3 e-trons will be spread across the two states and D.C., but plans to enlist EV beta testers – similar to what BMW has done with the Mini E and 1 Series-based ActiveE – to get real world data on how drivers use their EVs day-to-day.
The A3 e-tron, originally revealed last April, comes packing a 26.5-kWh lithium-ion battery pack good for a range of 90 miles, with a 100-kW (around 130 horsepower) motor driving the front wheels and putting out 199 pound-feet of torque. Performance isn’t particularly impressive, with the A3 hitting 60 mph in around 11 seconds and topping out at 90 mph. And with a 400-volt rapid-charger, Audi claims the battery pack can be juiced up in around four hours.
Full details, along with a video, are available in the press blast below the fold.
Continue reading Audi announces A3 e-tron Electric Vehicle Pilot Program at TED [w/video]
Audi announces A3 e-tron Electric Vehicle Pilot Program at TED [w/video] originally appeared on AudiMobiles on Mon, 27 Feb 2012 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.