Currently reading: Munich trial for Audi A1 e-tron
Audi's A1 e-tron will be trialled in Munich from mid-2011

Audi is to test 20 of its extended-range electric A1 e-trons in and around Munich to determine how the car will be used day to day.

Two hundred ‘electric filling stations’ providing 'green electricity' will be installed around the city to support the ‘eflott’ project.

See the official pics of the Audi A1 e-tron

All 20 examples of the A1 e-tron will be operational by mid-2011 when the project, which forms part of the 'Model Region Electromobility Munich' initiative, will begin.

Peter Ramsauer, the German federal transport minister, said there was interest in how the transportation systems of the future will look and the project is a large field test to place 'electromobility' in real-world conditions.

He added: “Our goal is clear: we want to make Germany the lead market for electromobility and put at least one million electric vehicles on German roads by 2020.”

Read the full story on the Audi A1 e-tron, including pics and video

The project is being undertaken jointly with energy company E.ON, the Munich municipal utility company Stadtwerke München (SWM) and the Technical University of Munich (TUM).

E.ON and SWM will install the charging stations and the Technical University of Munich has been drafted in to analyse the data.

The A1 e-tron was unveiled at the Geneva motor show this year and has an all-electric range of more than 31 miles in city traffic, which can be extended to 124 miles.

Read more on one of Audi's other e-tron concepts: the R4

It has a peak power output of 101bhp, and when the battery runs flat it is charged by a compact 'range extender' consisting of a single-rotor Wankel engine and an electrical generator with a charge rating of up to 15kW.

Top speed is 81mph, with CO2 emissions of 45g/km and average economy of 149mpg.

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MikeFoxtrot 15 September 2010

Re: Munich trial for Audi A1 e-tron

Anything with smart Wankel rotary engine will automatically win my vote.

Time to move on from archaic piston power plants. Electric hybrid with wankel or small gas turbine running at constant and most optimum rpm is what I'd call a breakthrough. Variable timing, stratified injection, titanium valves etc.. attached to piston engines are called tinkering, not a breakthrough.