Audi e-tron Quattro recuperates the same range it travels

Audi claims that their e-tron Quattro prototype can produce 30% additional range from regenerative braking.

Test mules of the Audi e-tron went on a 31 kilometre run downhill drive of Pikes Peak. Now Audi claims that the car with its ‘electrohydraulically integrated brake control system’ was able to regain enough energy to cover the exact same distance again.

The e-tron electric SUV is capable of a total output of 265KW of energy (355bhp) with 561 Nm of torque with a range of around 400 kilometres on a single charge. The car is limited to a top speed of 200km/h. However, in ‘S’ mode, the motors generate 300KW (400bhp) and 664 Nm of torque which allows it to accelerate from 0-100km/h in under six seconds

At Pikes Peak, Audi set about trying to achieve a target to recuperate a kilometre of range for each kilometre of travel downhill. On the 31 kilometre drive down from the top to the base, Audi says, the electric SUV was able to feed so much energy into its the batteries that it could cover approximately the same distance again. The difference in altitude provided the necessary conditions for this to be possible.

After the run, the e-tron prototype was able to recuperate up to 300Nm of torque and 220KW (295bhp) of power - more than 70 percent of its operating energy input. This is the highest a series production model has even been able to recuperate.

Audi is claiming that the recuperating system contributes to 30%of the range the vehicle is capable of. For the first time, three different recuperation modes are combined: manual coasting recuperation using the shift paddles, automatic coasting recuperation via the predictive efficiency assist, and brake recuperation with a smooth transition between electric and hydraulic deceleration. The Audi e-tron prototype recuperates energy solely via the electric motors, without using the conventional brake – that covers over 90% of all decelerations. The wheel brakes only come into play when the driver’s deceleration exceeds 0.3 g using the brake pedal, otherwise, the system uses the electric motor to decelerate the vehicle in the same way one uses engine braking.