Q7 hybrid concept Drive concept

The concept vehicle features a dynamic 4.2-litre FSI V8 engine developing 257 kW (350 bhp) and 440 Newton-metres. The advantage is that FSI engines are notably economical and generate more power and dynamism than conventional engines with indirect injection. The V8 was retuned for use in the Q7.

The electric motor is integrated ideally into the driveline between the V8 engine and the automatic transmission's torque converter. It develops 32 kW (44 bhp) at 200 Newton-metres. With the FSI engine connected up via a cut-out clutch, the electric motor can be used on its own or in conjunction with the V8.

The electric motor draws its energy from a nickel metal hydride battery system that is housed at the rear of the vehicle, beneath the luggage compartment floor. This arrangement is superbly space-efficient, not intruding in any way on the entire volume of the occupant cell including the spacious luggage compartment.

If desired, the battery can drive the car in an exclusively electric mode at speeds of up to approx. 30 km/h. Coasting and brake applications feed additional energy into the system. Once the capacity limit is reached, the combustion engine cuts in unobtrusively to recharge it.

Compared with earlier generations of hybrid vehicles, the electric motor and the nickel metal hydride battery are distinctly light in weight – the study vehicle weighs just 140 kilograms, or seven percent, more than the basic version.