According to a release issued by Audi, the company plans on building 20 A1 e-tron test cars by next summer, and put them into use within the metropolitan Munich area. The project was spurred in no small part by the German Federal Ministry of Transport, which forked over a sizable $12.7 million grant to the endeavor to fulfill Transport Minister Peter Ramsauer’s dream of having a million EVs on German roads by 2020.
Although these cars continue to bear the e-tron label, these A1s are not pure electric vehicles. Like the Chevrolet Volt, a small engine fires up to serve as a generator, effectively extending the total range. On electricity alone, the A1 can travel up to 32 miles of travel, thanks in part to a small 12-kWh lithium-ion battery pack mounted underneath the rear seat. After that, a 254-cc Wankel rotary engine (mounted underneath the rear load floor) comes online, providing enough electricity to boost range by 124 miles. Audi may be charged with building the electrified A1s, but it won’t be responsible for installing the charging network for their use. Instead, two German utility companies are partnering to install roughly 100 recharging stations across the city, mostly within existing parking structures and private garages.