New efficiencies go way beyond the norm
The Audi Q7 3.0 TDI Quattro, Hong Kong's first diesel private car, finally arrived in the city this month. The Euro V-compliant vehicle is set to lead the market by enabling Hong Kong drivers to play their part in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
It is the first diesel car in Hong Kong to be approved by the government after stringent fuel-emission tests. With an ultra-low emission system, the 3.0 TDI Quattro lays claim to being the cleanest diesel car in the world, and an extremely economical form of propulsion into the bargain.
The new car was demonstrated on the first leg of the Audi Mileage Marathon recently from New York to Washington. The best participants in this test, crossing the American continent, achieved an average fuel consumption of an impressive 7.4 litres per 100 kilometres.
Back in 1989, Audi launched the world's first turbo-charged, direct-injection and fully electronically-managed diesel engine-powered sedan at the Frankfurt car show. Its smooth torque curve shocked the motoring world, and since mass production from 1990, TDI has become an Audi trademark for diesel technology excellence.
By turbo-charging fresh air into the cylinders and directly injecting high-pressure diesel into them right after compression, combustion efficiency can be fully enhanced.
Audi is consistently pressing forward with new technology to improve fuel economy and CO{-2} emissions. The modular efficiency platform started to benefit from new technology from the second quarter of this year. The on-board computer's efficiency program and the start-stop system will raise the efficiency and convenience of Audi models to a new level, with fuel consumption estimated to drop by 20 per cent before 2012. Audi combines its fuel-saving start-stop system, which allows the driver to let the engine shut down at a long traffic jam and start up again when the clutch is pressed, with efficient battery technology and sophisticated energy management to maintain functioning even at low temperatures. The system is inactive during the warm-up phase of the engine so that the engine oil becomes warmer and the exhaust gas cleaning systems reach their operating temperature faster.
In the standardised driving cycle the start-stop system lowers fuel consumption by about 0.2 litres per 100 kilometres, and therefore reduces CO{-2} emissions by about five grams per kilometre. The system is being used for the first time in the Audi A3 1.4 TFSI with manual transmission and in the Audi A4 and A5 with two-litre engines and manual gearshift. Other models will follow this year.
The second newcomer in the modular efficiency platform is the on-board computer with efficiency program. All consumption-related data appears in the centre display, with recommendations for efficient driving - after all, up to 30 per cent of fuel consumption depends on individual driving style. The efficiency program analyses the energy consumption in the vehicle and gives the driver up-to-date tips for saving fuel, depending on the driving situation and style. The newly designed gearshift indicator signals to the driver when to shift for optimal fuel economy: A large and colour-coded display indicates whether the right gear is engaged, or whether shifting would be practical for the sake of efficiency. Comfort features, such as air conditioning and seat heating also increase fuel consumption.
The energy recovery system already uses deceleration phases to convert kinetic energy into electrical energy. When the car accelerates again, the battery directs the temporarily stored energy back into the vehicle, to relieve the alternator and thereby save fuel. The system is in the Audi A3 1.4 TFSI with manual transmission, the Audi A4, A5 Coup? and manual A5 Cabriolet, two-litre the A6 and the Audi Q5 and Q7.
