2007 Audi A4 on 2040-cars

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Next Audi Q7 to debut with electric turbocharger?

For years, the concept of an electric turbocharger was essentially a joke sold on eBay to boost power in your slammed Civic, but in the last five years it has moved from an idea on a piece of paper to a feasible reality. Audi has already toyed with a showcase of the cutting-edge tech in road cars with the RS5 TDI concept. Now, reports suggest an electric turbo may make it to the streets as soon as next year in the next-gen Q7 (spy shot pictured above).
"I can confirm we are working on the development of the e-boost definitely," said Ulrich Weiss, Audi's diesel engine boss, to Australia-based Drive. He didn't give an exact timeframe but hinted at sometime next year, possibly in the Q7. He also suggested the chance of an RS-branded diesel model in the vein of the RS5 TDI concept on the horizon, as well.
This tech isn't entirely new for the folks in Ingolstadt. Audi's R18 endurance racer already uses such a system to capture waste heat from the engine, converting it to electric power to further power the hybrid car. The RS5 TDI concept employs a similar idea with a 3.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V6 with an electric supercharger to make up for the turbo lag. It's able to pump out 385 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque and allegedly sprint to 62 miles per hour in four seconds.

Audi prices 2014 A8L TDI from $82,500*

During the Los Angeles Auto Show last November, Audi told us that it would be bringing four new diesel-powered models to the United States this year. The first to arrive is the 2014 A8L TDI you see here, and we've now learned that the big oil-sipper will be priced from $82,500, (*excluding $895 for destination).
The whole new range of diesel models will be powered by Audi's 3.0-liter TDI V6, good for 240 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque in this application. Of course, Quattro all-wheel drive is standard, and even in the big A8, the diesel grunt will be enough to propel the long-wheelbase flagship to 60 miles per hour in 6.4 seconds (almost a full second slower than the A8 3.0T we reviewed last fall). That said, the A8 TDI should still be a pretty engaging steer, and considering the fact that this thing will reportedly return fuel economy figures of up to 36 miles per gallon on the highway (24 in the city), a slightly slower launch time is well worth it. (The A8 3.0T tops out at 28 mpg highway.)
Elsewhere in the segment, Mercedes-Benz offers a diesel version of its S-Class flagship, retailing for $93,000 and good for fuel economy figures of 21/31 mpg city/highway. By comparison, the A8 TDI seems like a steal, and we'll be interested to see where the forthcoming BMW 7 Series diesel falls into the class of huge oil-burning barges.

Recharge Wrap-up: Air Liquide buys Airgas, Audi automated parking in Boston

Air Liquide will buy US competitor Airgas for $13.4 billion. The Paris-based industrial gases company — also a major producer of hydrogen gas — will pay $143 per share in the acquisition of Airgas. The deal could help Air Liquide surpass German rival Linde as the world's top industrial gases company. "The US is a very attractive gas market, it's the largest industrial gas market worldwide," says Air Liquide CEO Benoit Potier. "It's the fastest growing market among advanced economies." Read more from Bloomberg. The US Department of Energy (DOE) will announce a new funding opportunity for hydrogen and fuel cell technology. Expected to be worth up to $35 million, the funding will focus particularly on the research, development and demonstration of technology for light duty passenger vehicles with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and petroleum consumption. This includes hydrogen production, delivery and storage, as well as fuel cell technologies, manufacturing and analysis. The DOE expects to issue the Funding Opportunity Announcement around December 10. Read more at Green Car Congress. Audi will bring network infrastructure and automated parking to the Boston area. In an agreement with the city of Somerville, Massachusetts, Audi will work to improve traffic flow and increase the efficiency of space used for parking. As the city continues to develop, Audi's automated parking project will help decrease the amount of land needed to park cars, and the extra space can be used for more important real estate. Also, an intelligent traffic management project connecting cars to traffic lights can help reduce congestion. Read more in the press release below. Audi brings automated parking to the Boston area November 17, 2015 | INGOLSTADT/BARCELONA • Memorandum of Understanding between Audi and the US city of Somerville • Urban innovations – networking with traffic lights and automated parking • Real-estate developers save space and money thanks to self-parking cars Audi and the city of Somerville, Massachusetts, are planning joint innovations for the city of the future on the east coast of the USA. Audi CEO Rupert Stadler and Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone signed a Memorandum of Understanding in the context of the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona. They agreed to develop an urban strategy for Somerville, applying technologies for swarm intelligence or automated parking, and networking cars with traffic lights.