Cadillac CT6 Plug-In Hybrid Pegged for China Debut Later this Month

We know a lot about Cadillac’s all-new CT6 luxury sedan, including its set of all-new engines, but so far specifics on the impending plug-in hybrid version have proved elusive. Now, nonetheless, thanks to some comments from GM North America president Mark Reuss to Autoblog, we know to count on the pluggable CT6 to debut at the 2015 Shanghai auto show later this month.

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We nonetheless don’t know what will energy the hybrid, but the typical CT6 will offer a naturally aspirated V-6 and a twin-turbo V-6 at launch, plus, sooner or later, a twin-turbo V-7 A plug-in tends to make sense for Cadillac—especially for the European and Chinese markets—and we’ll locate out what the brand is up to in just a couple of weeks.

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Cadillac CT6 Plug-In Hybrid Pegged for China Debut Later this Month

Shot in the arm for plug-in vehicles

The government has agreed to extend the plug-in car grant until 2017, or until 50,000 grants have been issued, whichever comes 1st.

The move comes at a time when eco-friendly plug-in electric cars are gaining in reputation.

Sales have been up practically 4fold in 2014 to 14,498, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.

Accurate, cars that run on option fuel still make up only a tiny proportion of the total car sales last year of a lot more than 2.5 million, but you can spot the trend.

Taken for granted

The plug-in automobile grant was introduced in 2010 to encourage much more motorists to opt for a car with low or no emissions. It was scheduled to finish in Could 2015, so the £200m extension is welcome news for fans of option fuel.

The term ‘plug-in’ applies to any auto that can be charged by electricity.

It involves electric automobiles that run solely on batteries, as effectively as plug-in hybrids that use a petrol or a diesel engine combined with a battery that plugs into the mains.

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Green and imply

Low emissions are the big attraction of electric and plug-in automobiles. But low running charges widen their appeal.

Some models, for example, expense as tiny as 2p a mile to maintain on the road.

The choice of automobiles is also getting wider. At the moment, about 25 models are eligible for the grant, including the Nissan Leaf, Vauxhall Ampera and Toyota Prius Plug-in.

Model behaviour

But the number of plug-in vehicles coming onto the industry is expanding, as the technologies develops. Over the subsequent 3 years, a additional 40 models are expected to hit the showrooms.

In other words, plug-in cars are quick becoming a credible alternative to regular automobiles. With more than 7,000 public charge points, you don’t have to worry also a lot about running out of energy, either.

The government also hopes to boost the quantity of charge points thanks to an injection of about £30 million of extra cash.

5-grand gesture

The plug-in grant is worth 25% off the price of a car, up to a maximum of £5,000. The expense is the complete purchase price tag which includes quantity plates, car excise duty and VAT.

It does not, nonetheless, incorporate any optional extras such as delivery charges.

You do not even have to place in a claim for the grant. Alternatively, the car dealer completes the paperwork and automatically deducts the cash from the value of the auto.

You may well be asked to fill in a quick questionnaire, but it’s a little cost to pay.

Van extraordinaire

Do not forget that you can also qualify for the grant if you drive a plug-in van. The subsidy, though, is a little various at 20% off the expense of a van, up to a maximum of £8,000.

Shot in the arm for plug-in vehicles

2016 BMW 328e Plug-In Hybrid – Prototype Drive

2016 BMW 328e Plug-In Hybrid – Prototype Drive

2016 BMW 328e Plug-In Hybrid – Prototype Drive

2016 BMW 328e Plug-In Hybrid – Prototype Drive

2016 BMW 328e Plug-In Hybrid – Prototype Drive

2016 BMW 328e Plug-In Hybrid – Prototype Drive

2016 BMW 328e Plug-In Hybrid Prototype Driven: Plug It In, Man

Prototype Drive

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One more hybridized 3-series, this time with a plug.

The entry-luxury sedan segment’s dominant Germans are about to extend their merciless battle to plug-in hybrids. Audi is prepping such a version of the A4 and Mercedes-Benz has a corded C-class in the works. Naturally, BMW’s pluggable 3-series is also imminent.

The large unanswered question in this emerging sub-segment, however, is exactly how much EV range folks count on from their plug-in hybrid. For its element, BMW is about to take a quite huge bet that much less plug-in hybrid may well just be a lot more. Audi has staked out 30 miles of pure-electric running as its baseline. BMW, even though, thinks 22 miles is a lot for the 3-series eDrive. (Mercedes agrees, citing 20 miles for its C350 PHEV.) If you need to have any much more than that, BMW will gladly steer you more than to the i3 or the more sensible but still-unconfirmed i5.

If it all goes to plan, the shorter variety will give the BMW—which, since no a single remembers the “eta”-engined E30, is really likely to be badged 328e—some positive aspects. To cite just 3: It has fewer lithium-ion cells than the Audi and is as a result less expensive, a smaller battery is a lot less complicated to package amongst its rear-drive hardware, and the complete hybrid component set weighs much less. If it does not all go to plan, it will imply too many folks will uncover the Audi’s further variety is the difference amongst charging the car as soon as a day or twice.

Nonetheless, this is the vehicle BMW improvement engineer Helmuth Wiesler is counting on to future-proof the brand’s most critical model line against emissions laws and taxes, so he’s taking it all extremely seriously. There’s also the truth that BMW plans to make a plug-in version of each and every main model it sells.

The Electrically Boosted Heart

His development group gave the 3-series eDrive BMW’s new 2.-liter turbocharged and direct-injected B48 4-cylinder gasoline engine. It has 180 horsepower and 236 lb-ft of torque and works via an 8-speed automatic transmission that sends output to the rear axle. But within this transmission lies the eDrive’s trick: BMW has properly swapped out the classic torque converter for a “torque transformer,” which is, to the rest of us, an electric motor.

This 95-hp electric motor (sorry, “torque transformer”) acts straight on the input shaft, so little energy is wasted. And not only does it push far more power and torque under acceleration, it also acts as a generator whenever the auto decelerates and requires more than starter-motor duties.

It gets the juice to do its perform from a refrigerant—not water—cooled 7.6-kWh lithium-ion battery pack mounted at the back of the vehicle. (The battery pack’s operating variety is the middle 5.5 kWh.) It is not all excellent news, even though, since the housing for the pack pushes the trunk floor up by a lot more than an inch.

Combining the 2 powerplants for maximum urge, as the 3-series eDrive does in its Sport mode, benefits in 245 horsepower, which is about on the funds for the standard 328i, as nicely as 295 lb-ft of torque. Yet the auto scores a European combined consumption figure of 118 mpg, albeit on a test cycle optimized for plug-ins.

Continued…

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2016 BMW 328e Plug-In Hybrid Prototype Driven: Plug It In, Man

Audi launches its first plug-in hybrid model – Audi A3 Sportback e-tron

Audi has embarked toward future mobility with the international launch of the brand’;s first plug-in hybrid model, the Audi A3 Sportback e-tron, which can cover up to 50 kilometres in pure electric mode. The A3 Sportback e-tron combines dynamic power, high efficiency and an emotional driving experience with uncompromising everyday utility. The 5-door compact, whose 1.4 TFSI engine and electric motor produce a system output of 150 kW, is a sporty all-arounder and perfect for everyday driving. The Audi A3 Sportback e-tron is now available in Europe and is currently under review for the South African market, with a possible introduction in 2016.

Its sporty character positions the A3 Sportback e-tron as a new highlight in the A3 family. The Audi A3 Sportback e-tron offers all the strengths of a typical Audi. Its drivetrain comprises a 1.4 TFSI engine with 110 kW, a 75 kW electric motor and a newly developed 6-speed S tronic with an integrated electric motor. The system output is 150 kW with a maximum system torque of 350 Nm. The battery has a capacity of 8.8 kWh and can be charged in a little more than 2 hours from an industrial outlet. A versatile charging system is standard, while a smartphone app provides for extremely easy remote charging and precooling/preheating.

The Audi A3 Sportback e-tron accelerates to 100 km/h in 7.6 seconds and has a top speed of 222 km/h. In purely electric mode, top speed is limited to 130 km/h. Fuel consumption according to the ECE standard for plug-in hybrid vehicles is just 1.5 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres, corresponding to CO2 emissions of 35 grams per kilometre. In electric mode, the compact 5-door can cover 50 kilometres with a CO2 emission of zero grams per kilometre.

The drivetrain of the A3 Sportback e-tron comprises 3 units: a 1.4 TFSI engine, an electric motor and a newly developed 6-speed, dual-clutch transmission. The 1.4 TFSI is one of Audi’;s most advanced engines. The engine is shifted roughly 6 centimeters to the right in the engine compartment compared with an A3 with a classic drivetrain to make room for the additional components. Its crankcase is made of lightweight aluminum, and the entire engine weighs just 100 kilograms

The hybrid management system intelligently controls the interaction of the drive systems. It offers the driver numerous functions, including boost, in which the engine and motor actively work together, and recuperation, which feeds the automobile’;s kinetic energy back into the battery. In contrast to some of its competitors, the Audi A3 Sportback e-tron is not an either-or concept, but a car that is up to any automotive task.

The driver can use Audi drive select to configure the character of the car according to the modes comfort, auto, dynamic and individual. Due to its to systematic lightweight design, the A3 e-tron has a curb weight (without driver) of just 1,540 kg, yet offers space for 5 occupants and 280 litres of luggage.

The Audi A3 Sportback e-tron offers a number of operating modes besides braking recuperation. The car is almost always started electrically, except at very low temperatures, in extremely hot conditions or when battery charge is very low. With the electric motor’;s high torque, the compact car accelerates strongly.

Even at a constant 100 km/h in EV mode, it is generally only the electric motor that is in operation provided that there is sufficient battery energy. If the driver maximises the pressure on the accelerator, hybrid mode is activated and the combustion engine starts up. The 2 engines begin working together sooner if the driver has selected the sporty S mode. Boost begins earlier and the A3 Sportback e-tron accelerates with 350 Nm of system torque. When the driver lets up on the accelerator in S mode, the system recovers energy via coasting recuperation, whereas in D mode the hybrid system deactivates both drives and switches into gliding mode. The kinetic energy is now used to achieve maximum range via rolling, and engine drag losses are minimized. The driver of the Audi A3 Sportback e-tron can intervene in the hybrid management system at any time.

The Audi A3 Sportback e-tron comes standard with a charging system that makes full use of the power supplied by the electrical outlet. It comprises a control unit with graphical display, a car cable and 2 power cables with the household and industrial plugs appropriate for the respective country.

Body and design

Subtle details document the special status of the plug-in hybrid model. The Singleframe grille is matt black and contains 14 fine, horizontal chrome struts. Forked chrome struts fill the air inlets, while the bumpers and side sill trims have a sporty look. At the rear, the newly designed apron encompasses a platinum grey diffuser with 2 chrome-plated horizontal slats and 2 side reflectors. The exhaust system tailpipe is invisible, while e-tron badges adorn the grille, the luggage compartment hatch and the fenders. There are 13 paint finishes from which to choose.

The dynamic lines of the exterior continue to the elegant and clean interior of the A3 Sportback e-tron, much the same when compared to its A3 siblings. The displays provide the driver with precise information about the drivetrain. The powermeter, which takes the place of the tachometer in the instrument cluster, shows the system’;s overall output, as well as the status of the drivetrain and the battery charge. The tachometer can be shown in the display between the speedometer and the powermeter. The monitor for the optional MMI navigation plus uses sophisticated graphics to visualize the energy flows in the hybrid system. The entire display and operating concept is clear and intuitive.

Audi launches its first plug-in hybrid model – Audi A3 Sportback e-tron

Audi launches its first plug-in hybrid model – Audi A3 Sportback e-tron

Audi has embarked toward future mobility with the international launch of the brand’;s first plug-in hybrid model, the Audi A3 Sportback e-tron, which can cover up to 50 kilometres in pure electric mode. The A3 Sportback e-tron combines dynamic power, high efficiency and an emotional driving experience with uncompromising everyday utility. The 5-door compact, whose 1.4 TFSI engine and electric motor produce a system output of 150 kW, is a sporty all-arounder and perfect for everyday driving. The Audi A3 Sportback e-tron is now available in Europe and is currently under review for the South African market, with a possible introduction in 2016.

Its sporty character positions the A3 Sportback e-tron as a new highlight in the A3 family. The Audi A3 Sportback e-tron offers all the strengths of a typical Audi. Its drivetrain comprises a 1.4 TFSI engine with 110 kW, a 75 kW electric motor and a newly developed 6-speed S tronic with an integrated electric motor. The system output is 150 kW with a maximum system torque of 350 Nm. The battery has a capacity of 8.8 kWh and can be charged in a little more than 2 hours from an industrial outlet. A versatile charging system is standard, while a smartphone app provides for extremely easy remote charging and precooling/preheating.

The Audi A3 Sportback e-tron accelerates to 100 km/h in 7.6 seconds and has a top speed of 222 km/h. In purely electric mode, top speed is limited to 130 km/h. Fuel consumption according to the ECE standard for plug-in hybrid vehicles is just 1.5 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres, corresponding to CO2 emissions of 35 grams per kilometre. In electric mode, the compact 5-door can cover 50 kilometres with a CO2 emission of zero grams per kilometre.

The drivetrain of the A3 Sportback e-tron comprises 3 units: a 1.4 TFSI engine, an electric motor and a newly developed 6-speed, dual-clutch transmission. The 1.4 TFSI is one of Audi’;s most advanced engines. The engine is shifted roughly 6 centimeters to the right in the engine compartment compared with an A3 with a classic drivetrain to make room for the additional components. Its crankcase is made of lightweight aluminum, and the entire engine weighs just 100 kilograms

The hybrid management system intelligently controls the interaction of the drive systems. It offers the driver numerous functions, including boost, in which the engine and motor actively work together, and recuperation, which feeds the automobile’;s kinetic energy back into the battery. In contrast to some of its competitors, the Audi A3 Sportback e-tron is not an either-or concept, but a car that is up to any automotive task.

The driver can use Audi drive select to configure the character of the car according to the modes comfort, auto, dynamic and individual. Due to its to systematic lightweight design, the A3 e-tron has a curb weight (without driver) of just 1,540 kg, yet offers space for 5 occupants and 280 litres of luggage.

The Audi A3 Sportback e-tron offers a number of operating modes besides braking recuperation. The car is almost always started electrically, except at very low temperatures, in extremely hot conditions or when battery charge is very low. With the electric motor’;s high torque, the compact car accelerates strongly.

Even at a constant 100 km/h in EV mode, it is generally only the electric motor that is in operation provided that there is sufficient battery energy. If the driver maximises the pressure on the accelerator, hybrid mode is activated and the combustion engine starts up. The 2 engines begin working together sooner if the driver has selected the sporty S mode. Boost begins earlier and the A3 Sportback e-tron accelerates with 350 Nm of system torque. When the driver lets up on the accelerator in S mode, the system recovers energy via coasting recuperation, whereas in D mode the hybrid system deactivates both drives and switches into gliding mode. The kinetic energy is now used to achieve maximum range via rolling, and engine drag losses are minimized. The driver of the Audi A3 Sportback e-tron can intervene in the hybrid management system at any time.

The Audi A3 Sportback e-tron comes standard with a charging system that makes full use of the power supplied by the electrical outlet. It comprises a control unit with graphical display, a car cable and 2 power cables with the household and industrial plugs appropriate for the respective country.

Body and design

Subtle details document the special status of the plug-in hybrid model. The Singleframe grille is matt black and contains 14 fine, horizontal chrome struts. Forked chrome struts fill the air inlets, while the bumpers and side sill trims have a sporty look. At the rear, the newly designed apron encompasses a platinum grey diffuser with 2 chrome-plated horizontal slats and 2 side reflectors. The exhaust system tailpipe is invisible, while e-tron badges adorn the grille, the luggage compartment hatch and the fenders. There are 13 paint finishes from which to choose.

The dynamic lines of the exterior continue to the elegant and clean interior of the A3 Sportback e-tron, much the same when compared to its A3 siblings. The displays provide the driver with precise information about the drivetrain. The powermeter, which takes the place of the tachometer in the instrument cluster, shows the system’;s overall output, as well as the status of the drivetrain and the battery charge. The tachometer can be shown in the display between the speedometer and the powermeter. The monitor for the optional MMI navigation plus uses sophisticated graphics to visualize the energy flows in the hybrid system. The entire display and operating concept is clear and intuitive.

Audi launches its first plug-in hybrid model – Audi A3 Sportback e-tron