That the future of automobile transport is purely electric cars ? But where! During the Volkswagen Group 's press presentation at the Frankfurt Motor Show, plans were revealed with models that will have alternative powertrains under the hood – and all of them will have a plug-in hybrid !
Before we begin the presentation, we need to explain what the plug-in hybrid ( abbreviated PHEV ) actually is. It is a hybrid car whose batteries can be recharged from a classic home network . So you don't need any special charging station. The advantage of such cars is usually a larger battery capacity , which allows more time to drive on electricity. However, in addition to pure electric mode, the plug-in hybrid can also run on conventional fuel or a combination of both.
A typical plug-in hybrid of the VW concern is the Audi A3 e-tron , which was seen both in Geneva and in Frankfurt, the Volkswagen XL1 or the sporty Porsche 918 Spyder . And for the entire German concern, these are just stepping stones. As early as next year, two more Audis with a similar type of drive should arrive – namely, the A6 e-tron and the A8 e-tron . Both are expected to offer a more powerful version of the same type of powertrain used in the Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid , with a six-cylinder instead of a four-cylinder, rather than the A3 e-tron engine that combines a four-cylinder with an electric motor.
But it won't be limited to sedans. The Panamera S E-Hybrid will probably become the donor of "organs" for the large SUVs Audi Q7 e-tron and Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid . While Porsche will receive a plug-in hybrid device in the current generation, the plug-in hybrid Q7 will arrive next year as a new generation .
Not even parent company Volkswagen will be embarrassed. He is preparing a Golf TwinDrive and a larger Passat TwinDrive . Both models will receive, thanks to the MQB platform, a powertrain from the Audi A3 e-tron . In the Passat, however, the performance of the electric motor will be slightly increased due to the higher weight of the car. This can be read from a table published by Motor Trend magazine .
One can only speculate about other models, but a similar "plug-in hybrid" fate almost certainly awaits the Jetta . Whether Volkswagen will be able to do it in the current generation or save it for the next one, which will use the MQB platform and will therefore be easier to build into it the same mechanism as in the Golf TwinDrive and A3 e-tron, that is the question. It is also possible to speculate about other Audi models – the A7 Sportback e-tron could use the A6 e-tron technology, the smaller A4 and A5 models could do the same in cooperation with the Volkswagen Passat.
A plug-in hybrid variant of the upcoming Volkswagen seven-seat crossover , which will be derived from the CrossBlue concept , is said to be a priority. This model, as well as the new generation VW Tiguan, could donate technology to the A3 e-tron. The more luxurious Audi Q5 and Porsche Macan models could get Audi A4/A5 technology. So I can only think of one question: When will the Skoda plug-in hybrid arrive?
Source: motortrend.com
