Audi loves using its handsome A7 fastback as the foundation for freaky experiments–witness the self-driving RS7 that blasted to 150 mph at Hockenheim with nobody at the wheel. This week at the L.A. auto show, Audi showed off its latest riff, a plug-in-hybrid fuel-cell A7 named H-tron Quattro that performs like a regular gas-powered sedan, but emits only water vapor. The zero-emission future doesn’t have to be dull. The H-tron Quattro concept’s motors draw electricity from either a fuel cell or a battery pack charged from a household outlet. The hydrogen-powered half mounts a 300-cell, platinum-catalyzed power unit under the hood, kicking out up to 360 volts.
The only moving parts are a turbo that forces air into the fuel cells to supply oxygen, a recirculation fan to recycle unused hydrogen, and a coolant pump. Able to turn up to 60 percent of the hydrogen’s stored energy into forward momentum, the fuel cell’s efficiency obliterates the best that internal-combustion engines can muster. The plug-in half of this hybrid equation comes in the form of an 8.8-kWh lithium-ion battery below the trunk floor.
Charged up after four hours plugged into a (European 220-volt) household outlet, supplemented by energy captured from regenerative braking, this battery provides up to 31 miles of all-electric cruising range in addition to what the hydrogen fuel cell provides.
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