2004 Audi A2H2 Concept
All I Want for Christmas is a Zero Emissions Car
When Audi launched the A2 in 2000, the automotive world paused for a moment to catch a glimpse of what the best had to offer. Many werent quite sure what to think of Audis latest work of mechanical genius.
It was Volkswagen divisions smallest production car, and featured a tiny 1.4-liter direct injection gasoline and turbo diesel inline-four, but at the same time it featured an interior crafted of the same high-grade materials used in the A6 and A8 and was the only mass-produced car to have a light, strong all-aluminum ASF space frame body. Quattro all-wheel drive aside, it was everything that Audi had learned in engineering over the past decade, and was lauded as "Audi Condensed".
The A2, unlike the A3, A4, or A6, never sold in large numbers, and like many of the brands more exotic offerings, it is only available in Europe and Asia. Given that the A2 is a quirky design with its hoodless monospace 0.28 Cd-drag body, tiny engines and small dimensions, the corporate buffs figured that it was far too ahead of its time for North America. Besides, the whole idea clashed with the image of the sexy TT and slick A4 lineups.
What the A2 did provide for Audi was a platform for producing several environmentally friendly vehicles, including the basis for its 3L program, which took flight in 2002. 3L stands for three liters - not engine capacity, but average fuel consumption in liters per 100 km driven, which is equivalent to about 78 mpg.
This daring goal was set by Volkswagen Auto Group for a series of small cars including the VW Lupo and Seat Arosa (neither of which are sold in North America). Audis A2 3L was the highlight of the group, featuring automatic engine shutoff at idle to prevent unnecessary fuel waste, similar to that used in hybrid-electric cars such as the Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid and Ford Escape Hybrid.
Since that time, Audi has swooped under the radar with its green-energy program. Volkswagen continued with the somewhat odd tandem Messerschmitt KR200-inspired 1L concept and the recently introduced a Golf diesel-electric hybrid concept, but Audi had yet to display anything, until this years Michelin Bibendum Challenge, the worlds largest competition for sustainable drive and energy concepts.
At the event in Shanghai, the innovative German firm returned to the scene with the A2H2 concept, Audi and VAGs first publicly-displayed hydrogen fuel cell concept car.
In place of the standard gasoline or diesel internal combustion engine is a fuel cell propulsion unit linked to a storage battery system. The Ballard-designed system is completely different than the "H2 ICE" engine format, such as those featured in the BMW H2R and Hummer H2H.
Rather than using liquid hydrogen as a combustion fuel, the Audi A2H2 combines the gas with oxygen, which is converted to water vapor, electric current and heat energy. The electric current is supplied to the electric motor, or stored in the cars battery.
In normal conditions, the A2H2s fuel cell provides a direct energy flow to the electric motor, but under hard acceleration, such as that used for climbing a hill or passing a vehicle, current is drawn from both the fuel cell and the storage battery.
Total maximum output is rated at 150 horsepower and 313 lb-ft of torque, effectively making this zero-emissions variant the most powerful A2. According to simulations done by Audi, the A2H2 is capable of reaching 60 mph in
less than 10 seconds, with a top speed of 109 mph, which is about on par with the standard A2 1.4L FSI.
Another critical point which separates the A2H2 from other hydrogen-powered vehicles is that it uses compressed gaseous hydrogen as opposed to liquid hydrogen. Stored in three Dynetek fuel tanks which hold a total of 3.96 pounds of hydrogen gas, the A2H2 has a range of 137 miles.
With a capacity for hydrogen equivalent to about six liters of gasoline, the A2H2 effectively has a consumption figure of about (surprise, surprise) 3 L/100 km, 78 mpg. The only difference is that the A2H2 produces water vapor instead of carbon dioxide, sulfur and other toxic tailpipe emissions.
With the Audi A2H2 concept faster, cleaner and more powerful than any A2, when can we expect something like this to be on our roads? Audi and Volkswagen figure it will take about 15 years, based not only on the further development of hydrogen fuel cell technology and effective and cost efficient production methods of the fuel, but also on the political framework involving laws, standards, codes and safety testing.
Until something smarter and more advanced like the A2H2 gets the green light, BMWs liquid hydrogen-powered 7-Series, which is set to make a world debut within the next five years, will have to entertain us.