All-New Audi A8 to have Electrified Powertrain

The upcoming all-new Audi A8 will be the first-ever model in the brand's history to have an electrified drivetrain as standard, with the luxury flagship sedan's combustion engines being paired with a mild hybrid technology that's based on a 48-volt electrical system.

Audi A8's Mild Hybrid Drive

The Audi A8's mild hybrid drive is comprised of two main components: the water-cooled 48-volt belt alternator starter (BAS) which complements the conventional pinion starter, with the latter only being used for cold starts, and the lithium-ion battery in the trunk that acts as the energy accumulator for the vehicle with a 10 Ah charge carrier capacity and a 48-volt system.

According to Audi, the advantage of the BAS is evident when the driver approaches a red traffic signal or a roundabout. If the traffic signal turns green during braking while the vehicle is coasting to a stop or if a gap appears for the driver to move into and the driver releases the brake, the combustion engine is started immediately and the car accelerates without any delay. The BAS also aids in the vehicle's fuel efficiency, with the A8 going into noiseless coasting mode if the vehicle is within 55 and 159 kph for up to 40 seconds with the engine off altogether resulting in zero emissions.

Audi also claims that the A8's start/stop function is different from other systems as it is able to distinguish between different traffic situations. If the road ahead is clear, the BAS starts the combustion engine immediately to allow the vehicle to drive away swiftly, and if the vehicle in front of the Audi A8 moves ahead, the engine starts even if the brake is still depressed as the system concludes that the driver will follow the flow of traffic. In addition, Audi claims that the A8's start/stop operation is active from 23 kph.

How Fuel-Efficient is the All-New Audi A8?

All this is made possible through the A8's powertrain management system which processes both route data and information from its highly-networked set of sensors which includes a front camera. According to Audi, all these measures give the A8 a fuel consumption of up to 0.7 liter for every 100 kilometers or 143 kilometers per liter.

The new Audi A8 makes its world debut at the first Audi Summit in Barcelona, Spain on July 11, 2017.