Audi Duo - almost 30 years of four rings with hybrid
02/18/2017
When it comes to hybrids, the brand name Toyota is usually the first to come to mind, but Audi also stood out early on with its own designs.
The Audi Duo, which was based on the C3 100 Avant, was presented at the IAA in 1989. In addition to the 136 hp 2.3-liter five-cylinder engine, a 60 kg, 12.6 hp electric motor flange-mounted to the rear axle differential provided propulsion. 181 kg of nickel-cadmium batteries provided the energy storage.
Driving was not quite as easy as with modern hybrid vehicles; the driver had to choose between electric or petrol drive (excerpt from AR 52/1989):
"The ignition key is used to either start the combustion engine or - after the gearshift has been moved to neutral - the electric drive is activated by pressing the "E" button. With electric drive, the car drives like an automatic; because there is no gearshift, the driver only has to press the accelerator pedal. A display provides constant information about the battery charge level. When driving with electric drive, an additional small electric motor supplies the hydraulics so that the power steering, brake servo and ABS function as usual.
Another benefit of the duo system that should not be underestimated is the improved operational safety of the vehicle: if one motor fails, the vehicle can be operated with the second, completely independent drive system. "
At the time, the price for such a car was said to be between CHF 65,000 and 70,000, a lot of money and around CHF 20,000 more than for the normal Quattro Avant, especially as the electric range was just 30 km and it was not possible to drive more than 50 km/h electrically.
The second generation then arrived in 1991 (pictured above). Now the electric motor already had 29 hp, but it was coupled with the four-cylinder engine. The electric top speed was now 65 km/h and the range 80 km.
The Audi Duo III was the first Audi hybrid to go into series production in 1997 (20 years ago). This car was based on the A4 Avant and coupled a 1.9-liter diesel engine with 90 hp with a water-cooled electric motor that produced 29 hp. The drive for both engines went to the front axle. Again, a switch was used to switch between electric and diesel-based propulsion. The Duo III could already recuperate and also recharge while driving. The maximum electric speed was 80 km/h and the electric range was 50 kilometers. Around 100 Audi Duo IIIs were produced, but their main drawback was that they were barely more economical than the normal TDIs due to the heavy weight of the lead-gel batteries.
It was to take until 2011 before another series-produced hybrid from Audi appeared.
