Audi's Next-Gen A8 Adds Mild Hybrid Arrangement as Standard; Other Models to Follow

by Matt Posky

Published: June 1st, 2017

audi s next gen a8 adds mild hybrid arrangement as standard other models to follow

There’s a bit of an automotive renaissance occurring just below the radar. While pure electrics and plug-in hybrids garner endless headlines, several luxury brands are sneaking more mild hybrid arrangements under their vehicles’ hoods via a 48-volt electrical system.

Audi is a firm believer in the technology and is making moves to implement the system in numerous vehicles in its lineup, starting with the fourth-generation A8 arriving later this year. Combining regenerative braking with a small lithium battery and belt-driven alternator, the system harnesses wasted energy and is a more affordable way to tap into the benefits of hybridization. So affordable, automakers are using the KERS-like system on models as standard equipment, not a optional extra.

In this regard, Audi’s A8 is no different. The next generations of the A6 and A7 will also use the technology.

Alexander Kruse, Audi’s project head for the 48-volt enhanced ICEs, told Automotive News the brand wants to bake the system into larger models “very quickly.” The A7 is due to debut at the Frankfurt auto show this September and the A6 launches sometime in 2018. While the pair won’t receive setups quite as trick as the flagship sedan, the mechanical theories are identical.

Audi claims the system equates to an additional 12 kilowatts (16 horsepower) and 60 Newton meters (44 lb-ft) of torque on tested V6s, reducing fuel consumption by 0.7 liters per 100 km — enough to notice at the pump, if you’re paying attention. While the real draw for consumers is the added torque, the system does some of its best work when it isn’t making any.

The A8 can coast for up to 45 seconds with the engine turned off at speeds between 19 mph to 99 mph but, once the driver touches the gas, the alternator/starter combo brings the engine back up to speed.

[Image: Audi]

#48-volt #48-voltElectricalSystem #A6 #A7 #A8 #Audi #AudiA8 #AutomotiveTechnology #Hybrids #NewCars #Sedans

Matt Posky

Consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulations. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, he has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed about the automotive sector by national broadcasts, participated in a few amateur rallying events, and driven more rental cars than anyone ever should. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and learned to drive by twelve. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer and motorcycles.

More by Matt Posky

Comments

Join the conversation

2 of 4 comments

Z9 on Jun 01, 2017

I think the fears about added complexity of hybrid components are overblown. Ever notice how many hybrid taxis there are these days? I doubt taxi companies would put so much love behind vehicles that were breaking down all the time. And any added complexity in the drive system is partially offset by the increased brake life provided by regenerative braking. It seems that with hybrids and electric cars, brakes are pretty much good for the life of the vehicle. I realize this is not a huge expense but it's a certain one in cars without motors and batteries.

Like Reply
HotPotato on Jun 05, 2017

2018 Audi A8, now offering the same up-to-the-minute BAS technology as the 2007 Saturn Vue Green Line! 2017 Audi A3 eTron, now offering half the EV mileage of the 2011 Chevy Volt! If this sort of thing represents Audi's response to green concerns, I'd rank it somewhere between a C-minus engineering effort and an upraised middle finger.

Like Reply

Recent Comments

MaintenanceCosts The Truth About Isuzu Troopers!
Jalop1991 MC's silence in this thread is absolutely deafening.
MaintenanceCosts Spent some time last summer with a slightly older Expedition Max with about 100k miles on the clock, borrowed from a friend for a Colorado mountain trip.It worked pretty well on the trip we used it for. The EcoBoost in this fairly high state of tune has a freight train feeling and just keeps pulling even way up at 12k ft. There is unending space inside; at one point we had six adults, two children, and several people's worth of luggage inside, with room left over. It was comfortable to ride in and well-equipped.But it is huge. My wife refused to drive it because she couldn't get comfortable with the size. I used to be a professional bus driver and it reminded me quite a bit of driving a bus. It was longer than quite a few parking spots. Fortunately, the trip didn't involve anything more urban than Denver suburbs, so the size didn't cause any real problems, but it reminded me that I don't really want such a behemoth as a daily driver.
Jalop1991 It seems to me this opens GM to start substituting parts and making changes without telling anyone, AND without breaking any agreements with Allison. Or does no one remember Ignitionswitchgate?At the core of the problem is a part in the vehicle's ignition switch that is 1.6 millimeters less "springy" than it should be. Because this part produces weaker tension, ignition keys in the cars may turn off the engine if shaken just the right way...2001: GM detects the defect during pre-production testing of the Saturn Ion.2003: A service technician closes an inquiry into a stalling Saturn Ion after changing the key ring and noticing the problem was fixed.2004: GM recognizes the defect again as the Chevrolet Cobalt replaces the Cavalier.fast forward through the denials, driver deaths, and government bailouts2012: GM identifies four crashes and four corresponding fatalities (all involving 2004 Saturn Ions) along with six other injuries from four other crashes attributable to the defect.Sept. 4, 2012: GM reports August 2012 sales were up 10 percent from the previous year, with Chevrolet passenger car sales up 25 percent.June 2013: A deposition by a Cobalt program engineer says the company made a "business decision not to fix this problem," raising questions of whether GM consciously decided to launch the Cobalt despite knowing of a defect.Dec. 9, 2013: Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew announces the government had sold the last of what was previously a 60 percent stake in GM, ending the bailout. The bailout had cost taxpayers $10 billion on a $49.5 billion investment.End of 2013: GM determines that the faulty ignition switch is to blame for at least 31 crashes and 13 deaths.It took over 10 years for GM to admit fault.And all because an engineer decided to trim a pin by tenths of a millimeter, without testing and without getting anyone else's approval.Fast forward to 2026, and the Allison name is no longer affiliated with the transmissions. You do the math.
Normie I'd hate to have to actually use that awkwardly mounted spare tire in a roadside fix scenario. Bumper jack? Tote around a 40 lb. floor jack? That's a high ridin' buggy!