On the heels of Dieselgate, Audi is pushing hybrid and electric tech hard. The company is expecting to release three plug-ins in the next three years, most likely an A6, A7 and Q6. And today in Detroit, Audi showed off a hydrogen-powered H-Tron Quattro Concept. Is it the real deal or is it, like many hydrogen cars, just another science experiment?
Admittedly it’s a gorgeous design, a tweaked version of the E-Tron Quattro likely headed to production in some form as Audi’s Tesla-fighting electric SUV. Here it uses a 110 kW hydrogen fuel cell in conjunction with a 100 kW lithium ion battery pack to power a 140kW motor in the back and a 90 kW motor up front. Together, the motors promise to get the gorgeous SUV to 60 in seven seconds.
The hydrogen fuel tank can be refilled in fewer than four minutes, and once that’s done, the car goes 375 miles before coughing to a stop.
Perhaps even more impressive is the interior, which comes with more screens than an AMC. Theater, that is. Not Javelin.
In person, the car looks great. It’s got those Tesla-esque door handles that sit flush with the sheetmetal when they’re not in use. It’s also got a bit of a wagon-y stance, and we love wagons.
Audi and parent company Volkswagen are working hard to burnish those green credentials on the heels of the emissions scandal. To them, it looks like electricity is the future. Time will tell if that really includes hydrogen too.