Hydrogen fuel cells have always presented an interesting alternative to conventional battery-powered EVs. They offer the advantage of having an on-board power station that mixes stored hydrogen with oxygen from the air, creating water and a small electric charge that is captured and used directly to propel the vehicle. Nothing harmful is emitted, aside from water vapor.
Now, according to British magazine Autocar, Audi will begin trials this August for a fuel-cell-powered A7, though, it is not the first manufacturer to have done so.
In fact, it is not even Audi’s first effort either, as they built and tested the Q5 HFC back in 2009. However, there is no word on how the system on the A7 works, so we won’t make any speculations. In addition, hydrogen can be burnt in the combustion chamber directly as fuel, boosting both performance and green credentials – check out this modified Aston Martin Rapide if you’re looking for a concrete example of that.
Audi seems a bit chaotic in its eco efforts, putting a lot of money into pure EVs, then announcing most of it was done purely for testing purposes, while parent company VW is set to make the XL1, which uses a diesel-electric hybrid system. VW also has cars like the Jetta Hybrid, and it employs yet another system, this time using their force-fed 1.4-liter motor as a base.
By Andrei Nedelea
Note: Regular Audi A7 shown in pictures
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