Audi g-tron unites ecology, economy and high-tech in groundbreaking fashion.

Not only can the Audi A3 Sportback g-tron use fossil natural gas and biomethane, it also runs on eco-friendly Audi e-gas, which Audi produces from wind energy at the world’s first ever industrial power-to-gas plant in Wertle in Emsland in the German state of Lower Saxony. This cutting-edge technology enables fluctuating energy sources such as wind and solar power to be stored on a large scale for the first time – a vital step forward for increasing renewable electricity, which is also good news when it comes to recharging the A3 e-tron, the sister model of the A3 g-tron.

The Audi A3 Sportback g-tron is equipped with an 81 kW (110 bhp) petrol engine that has been optimised for operation with natural gas, and is the first ever CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) car to be manufactured in series by the brand with the four rings. It has a bi-fuel design and is able to cover a distance of over 400 kilometres on a single tank of gas thanks to its low consumption of 3.2–3.3 kg/100 km on the NEDC cycle, and a further 900 kilometres on petrol power when no CNG filling stations are available. Running the A3 g-tron on Audi e-gas enables virtually CO2-neutral operation.

Audi e-gas is a synthetic methane gas that is manufactured using hydrogen produced by electrolysis and CO2 extracted from the exhaust-gas flow of a waste biogas plant. When Audi e-gas is produced using green electricity, exactly the same quantity of CO2 is absorbed as the Audi A3 g-tron releases in gas mode. Consequently, an A3 Sportback g-tron refuelled with Audi e-gas currently represents the most eco-friendly form of long-distance mobility.

Article source: www.audi.com