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As a result, this new concept uses just 3.99 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres and CO2 output of only 105 grams per km, figures usually associated with ultra-efficient diesel-powered small cars.

The A4 TDI Concept e is powered by a 2.0-litre direct injection diesel engine which develops 88kW and a constant 290Nm.

This engine features a comprehensive list of additional efficient technologies - from soft springs on the intake valves to a new thermal management system – to optimise fuel consumption.

Whilst not exactly brisk, the A4 Concept e still manages a modest 0 to 100 km/h time of 10.7 seconds and tops out at 206 km/h.

Not to be mistaken for a hybrid, it also features an energy recuperation system which stores power from braking into an absorbent glass mat battery.

This in turn is then used as part of the stop/start system which also reduces the load placed on the alternator.

Audi plans to expand its ‘e’ model line in the near future and start putting further technologies from its modular efficiency assembly into production.

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It said that it is well into the development of advanced, production-intent electric vehicles, and that it will apply electric-drive technology to its front-wheel-drive, rear-wheel-drive and body-on-frame four-wheel-drive platforms in the next several years.

At its World Headquarters today, Chrysler revealed its electric-drive prototypes – Dodge EV, Jeep EV and Chrysler EV – and demonstrated the driving performance and capability of each.

“We have a social responsibility to our consumers to deliver environmentally friendly, fuel-efficient, advanced electric vehicles, and our intention is to meet that responsibility quickly and more broadly than any other automobile manufacturer,” said Bob Nardelli, Chairman and CEO – Chrysler LLC.

“The introduction of the Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge electric vehicles provides a glimpse of the very near future, and demonstrates that we are serious and well along in the development of bringing electric vehicles to market.”

The development of Chrysler’s electric vehicles and range-extended electric vehicles is led by ENVI – representing the first four letters of “environmental” – the company’s in-house organisation that was formed to focus on electric-drive production vehicles and related advanced technologies.

The company said the development of electric-drive systems for future Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles is maturing quickly.

“ENVI was created just over one year ago with the strategic intent to develop electric-drive vehicles quickly for Chrysler, and it is surpassing expectations,” said Tom LaSorda, Vice Chairman and President – Chrysler LLC.

“With ENVI, Chrysler is developing technology to bring electric vehicles and extremely fuel-efficient range-extended electric vehicles to market.”

The Dodge EV development electric vehicle is a two-passenger, rear-wheel-drive sports car that marries high performance with zero tailpipe emissions.

“The Dodge EV sets a new standard for what can be expected in electric-drive vehicles,” said Lou Rhodes, Vice President – Advance Vehicle Engineering, and President – ENVI.

“The electric-vehicle technology enables a fun-to-drive performance sports car and helps redefine the vision of an environmentally responsible vehicle for the Dodge brand.”

The electric-drive system consists of three primary components: a 200kW electric motor, an advanced lithium-ion battery and an integrated power controller.

The 200kW electric-drive motor generates 650 Nm of torque. The instant high torque of the electric-drive motor delivers outstanding performance, accelerating the Dodge EV to 100km/h in less than five seconds, with 400 metre times of 13 seconds.

The Dodge EV has a top speed of more than 210km/h.

The Jeep EV development vehicle is a range-extended electric vehicle that provides a glimpse into the future of a “Go Anywhere, Do Anything” vehicle with renowned Jeep Wrangler capability.

The Jeep EV combines Wrangler’s unmatched off-road capability with the ultimate “Tread Lightly” mindset by providing nature ambassadors with the ability to roam the planet and take care of it at the same time.

The Jeep EV range-extended electric vehicle uses an electric motor, an advanced lithium-ion battery system, and a small petrol engine with an integrated electric generator to produce additional energy to power the electric-drive system when needed.

The 200kW electric motor generates 400Nm of torque. With approximately 36 litres of petrol, the Jeep EV has a range of 644 kilometres, including 64 kilometres of zero fuel-consumption, zero-emissions, all-electric operation.

“We are also exploring four-wheel-drive, in-wheel electric motors to demonstrate the full reach of ENVI’s advanced electric-drive technologies,” said Mr Rhodes.

The Chrysler EV development vehicle is a range-extended electric vehicle that demonstrates another possible application of ENVI electric-drive technology in the segment-leading Chrysler Town & Country, known in Australia as Chrysler Grand Voyager.

“With the Chrysler EV, we are able to blend seven-passenger capability and the luxury of the Chrysler Town & Country minivan with electric-drive technology, demonstrating family practicality with zero compromise,” said Mr Rhodes.

“ENVI’s electric-drive development vehicles showcase our accelerated application of electric-drive systems into a wide range of vehicles in Chrysler’s future product portfolio.”

The Chrysler EV combines the electric-drive components of an electric vehicle with an integrated small-displacement engine and generator to produce additional electricity to power the electric-drive system when needed.

This provides all of the positive attributes of an electric vehicle and extends the driving range to be equivalent to today’s petrol-powered vehicles – without compromises.

The Chrysler EV uses a 190kW motor, producing 350Nm of torque, providing 0-to-100km/h acceleration in approximately nine seconds. The Chrysler EV range-extended electric vehicle can drive 64 kilometres on all-electric power, and boasts a range of 644 kilometres on approximately 36 litres of petrol.

Chrysler says this makes the Chrysler EV the perfect fuel-efficient family vehicle.

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How do we do that? The primary way is by driving smarter. Smoother, more controlled driving leads to better fuel consumption, right? Sure, but there’s more to it. Correct tyre pressures, regularly servicing your engine, avoiding excess idling, good quality fuels, never redlining the engine - it all adds up.

Some of those factors are out of our control when we request a press car. For instance, we don’t service the car, we don’t choose the oil, and we don’t replace the air filters. But what we can and do, is control our driving, and plan our journey.

The car for this challenge was the ever-popular Hyundai i30. But again, we distanced ourself from the diesel model, as we knew that the fuel economy is already outstanding. This meant the 2.0-litre petrol model, and in this case, Hyundai supplied the SR spec - the top of the line. Co-incidentally, it also means it’s the heaviest. Another bonus for testing our theory.

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The recipe too is starting to become more commonplace. Ford’s Territory has long offered a RWD only variant and other SUV manufacturers have caught on, with the likes of Hyundai, KIA, and Toyota all following suite.

But back to our Korean friend which, despite its age, remains quite attractive, especially from the front three-quarter view. With chrome brightwork around the glass, dual exhaust outlets, and 17-inch, five-spoke alloy wheels included as standard, the SX looks better than a base model should, especially in black.

The flowing lines and curved arches subtly downplay Captiva’s bulk, almost disguising the proportions within, and lend a more elegant, passive appearance to the styling, which is refreshing amongst a class of vehicle that is all too often square, aggressive and overtly masculine.

But when all things are considered, and with so many rivals out there, just how well does a 2.0-litre diesel front-wheel drive SUV fair with competition this tight. Let’s start with the obvious question of what’s under the bonnet.

Utilising a Bosch common-rail fuel injection system and a variable geometry turbocharger, the 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel develops a reasonable 110kW at 4000rpm and satisfactory 320Nm of torque which is on hand from a leisurely 2000rpm.

Whilst the power figures may not seem adequate for a 1770kg vehicle, the five-speed ‘Activematic’ transmission keeps on top of things and makes smooth work of the available power to deliver a linear, fluid drive without awkward hesitation or rough changes. Even large hills are ironed flat with relative ease.

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Winning comments will be published, the winner notified (by email) and the $50 fuel card mailed to their door - it’s as simple as that! The first winner will be announced on October 1st. Good luck!

Also make sure you join CarAdvice’s Facebook Group for a chance to connect with other readers and view some content that never makes it on to the site.

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The offer only applies to private buyers but includes Holden’s entire range of cars. The only catch? Well there really isn’t one, simply take delivery of any new Holden before the 31st of October and the old General will make sure you only pay 99 cents per litre for 91 RON petrol or diesel for up to 20,000 kilometres or two years, whichever comes first.

“We will provide this cap across all segments to ensure the benefits are as widely available as possible, given that fuel prices impact all drivers regardless of the size of their car, whether you’re buying a Commodore for the family, a Barina as your first car, or a Colorado as tool of trade, we know everyone will appreciate our helping hand.

GM Holden is committed to providing affordable and economical cars to our customers, and this campaign is another way that can be achieved.” Alan Batey, Executive Director of Sales, Marketing and Aftersales said

How does it work? Holden will give all new Holden customers a Holden 99c Fuel Cap debit card to purchase fuel for up to 20,000 kilometres or two years.

The system might sound complicated, but it’s rather simple and clever. Holden will base the litres of fuel purchased and compare it to the vehicle’s ADR081/01 combined fuel consumption figure. So if you purchase 50L of fuel and your ADR fuel rating is 10L/100km, Holden will record 500km.

In most cases within 48 hours after the fuel has been purchased, Holden will debit from the customers nominated bank account to the value of 99 cents per litre purchased.

The benefits of the system are not simply limited cheaper fuel, or that Holden will pay upfront and then take the money later, but also because all accounts can be monitored by a monthly email statement or checked any time online or by phone.

This will allow consumers to see how many litres have been purchased during that month. A sort of online trip computer. Granted it won’t be a very accurate one, but it will allow for a better overall picture of one’s fuel costs.  Interested? We are too.

The cars that will benefit the most are the thirstier V8s, Holden has put together a table of all its cars and how many litres each car is entitled to over the two year period.  You can find out more about that and the offer in general here.

Given the V8s desire for slightly better than average fuel,  we are a little concerned that Holden will somewhat force new V8 owners into using 91 RON fuel to benefit from the scheme.

Will the new offer entice you to go with a Holden? Or perhaps to go with a bigger thirstier engine? Or is it just a clever marketing ploy? And if so, will it work?

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Honda Australia has built and is now operating an experimental ‘Home Energy Station’ which is actively generating hydrogen from natural gas for use in fuel cell vehicles. It also happens to supply electricity and hot water to the home to which it’s attached to.

Okay, so not only does Honda make cool cars (and ever cooler bikes), but soon, they will power your home with electricity and supply the warm water you shower in. Ambitious, but we like it.

The company says that by developing innovative approaches to sustainable energy, it’s reducing the environmental impact of the automobile.

How does the Home Energy Station work? Using Solar power. Oh yes, we know what you’re thinking. “But the production of solar panels create more pollution than they offset…” Correct, but not these ‘new’ Honda built, highly efficient photovoltaic cells.

Honda’s solar subsidiary in Japan, Honda Soltec Co, has been producing photovoltaic solar cells that incorporate copper, indium, gallium and selenium, as opposed to traditional panels produced from silicon. What does that mean? For a start they can capture significantly more energy making their production more worthwhile.

Honda plans to use the thin film solar cells to power its own fuel cell vehicles – like the FCX Clarity (pictured) – in a completely carbon free energy system.

The Japanese giant is also developing next-generation refueling stations that would use solar power to produce hydrogen from water for powering its fuel cell vehicles.

The big question, will this science-fiction-sounding technology ever see the light of day? Honda Australia’s Managing Director, Yasuhide Mizuno, thinks so. He recently confirmed the Home Energy Station technology will be seen here in the future.

“Honda has long been conducting research into the development of hydrogen production and supply systems for a hydrogen-based society of the future,” Mr. Mizuno said. “To have the Home Energy Station available locally is a really exciting prospect and would see Honda leading the way and launching emission free cars, like the Honda FCX Clarity, in Australia.”

If Honda built the Home Energy Stations like they build their cars, they will last a few decades and never breakdown, so the prospects are making us a little too excited but the reality and practicality and of course, the cost of the technology is still uncertain.

Nonetheless, would you consider a Home Energy Station from Honda to not only power your new FCX, but also provide your house with electricity and hot water?

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As it currently stands, Xenophon fears the new scheme could encourage collusion in the market between the big players and wipe out the independents.

“We’re still wanting to understand how it won’t push petrol prices … up and we also want to know how FuelWatch won’t squeeze out independents,” he said.

FuelWatch has been operating in Perth since 2001, with NRMA president Alan Evans suggesting ‘nimble’ independent operators have been able to gain an advantage.

Mr. Evans also continues to point the finger squarely at the supermarket giants.

Coles and Woolworths, who have been known to drive out independent competition and consistently set the highest price for fuel, are not subject to oil codes unlike oil companies.

Essentially there are fears that the introduction of this scheme could result in higher average petrol prices linked to reduced competition.

There have also been accusations that petrol companies could ‘gang up’ and collaborate to set fuel at a higher cost.

“There are severe criminal penalties for collusion, and on that basis we strongly suggest that any suggestion of collusion in the petrol market be supported by factual evidence, rather than throwing around baseless accusations.” BP spokesman Chandran Vigneswaran

Senator Fielding said he would not be supporting the legislation until his “serious concerns” were addressed by the government.

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“Holden has always been committed to providing vehicles that enable Australian families to enjoy spacious, safe and comfortable motoring at a price within their reach. As rising petrol prices continue to put pressure on all motorists, LPG offers an affordable solution that is already widely available. It gives motorists access to large car benefits at small car fuel costs.” GM Holden Chairman and Managing Director, Mark Reuss said.

The three sedan models available include the Commodore Omega, Berlina and 60th Anniversary. All three have their LPG system price reduced from $3900 to $2400.

Meanwhile there is an equivalent price drop from $4900 to $3400 for VE Omega ute (auto only). Potential buyers in Western Australia also benefit from the States additional $1,000 subsidy.

Holden quotes fuel economy figures of around 15.5 litres per 100km for the Dual-fuel Omega and Berlina sedan and 15.7 litres for Omega ute.

Seems like a lot? Consider that LPG costs around $0.63 a litre and unleaded petrol comes in at around $1.45. Holden claims a typical motorist covering 20,000kms annually would recoup the initial $400 outlay on an LPG Commodore sedan in just four months, and the $1400 on a LPG Ute in less than a year.

Not much power is lost with LPG models either, with the LPG powered sedans producing 175 kW @ 6000 rpm (petrol 180 kW @ 6000 rpm) while torque comes in at a healthy 325 Nm @ 2600 rpm (petrol 330 Nm @ 2600 rpm).

Using two separate tanks, the dual fuel option on the sedan includes the 73 litre cylindrical LPG tank (located under the parcel shelf in the boot) whilst the ute receives a slightly larger 74 litre cylindrical tank. The regular 73 litre petrol tank still remains on both variants allowing a significantly increased “distance to empty” per cycle.

Buyers are also assured the LPG kits fitted to the cars by Holden are covered by the company’s three-year/100,000km new vehicle warranty, having undergone extensive safety and crash tests.

There is no significant difference in specification between the petrol and LPG models either. The main difference is the minor increase in service costs, with an LPG vapour filter needing replacement every 15,000 kms, and a liquid filter every 120,000 kms.

Would you consider the LPG Commodore as your next family car?

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The fleet also consists of models from Daimler, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai-Kia, Nissan, Toyota, and Volkswagen.

“Being on this tour will show more people that hydrogen is truly the best alternative transportation fuel. An internal combustion engine, powered by hydrogen should play an important role in the future of sustainable mobility,” said Tom Baloga, BMW Vice President of Engineering.

The BMW Hydrogen 7 uses one of the cleanest energy sources available, producing essentially zero emissions.

Only water vapour is produced in the combustion process – and BMW boasts that it is safe enough to drink!

The Hydrogen Road Tour is a unique collaboration between the world’s leading automotive figures, including key federal departments, influential non-governmental organisations and hydrogen fuel providers to bring the reality of practical, clean energy to our nation’s legislators and the public.

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For this week’s adventure I decided, I’d had enough of “Fuel Prices Hit the Hip Pocket” stories and wanted to prove not only to myself, but to all of you out there, that there is still a place for big traditional Aussie V8s in today’s world of volatile fuel prices.

To do this, I first needed a V8. Holden volunteered the Commodore SS, equipped with a monstrous 6.0-litre, 270kW and 530Nm of torque engine. It seemed the ideal choice to do a reverse fuel economy story.

Next, we needed a destination, being in Brisbane, beaches are aplenty, but the Gold Coast just wasn’t going to cut it, so we headed towards the Sunshine Coast (Budrim and Mooloolaba in particular). First things first, pull over, and fill’er up all the way.

$84 got 52L of 91 RON fuel and the trip computers were reset to zero before we headed off.

Google Maps said the journey consisted of roughly 80km of inner city driving (From Brisbane’s east onto Gympie road) plus 140km of highway driving (Bruce Highway), a reasonable balance of both conditions. Peak our traffic times were picked to further emphasis the inner-city fuel consumption.

Holden says the 6-speed automatic SS Commodore (our test vehicle) will manage 14.3L/100km for a combined city and highway cycle. A little more than the Prius, sure, but a lot more fun too.

Literally as we pulled out of the service station there was an accident up ahead, which meant our first 25 minute delay. This gave me some time to get to appreciate the Commodore a little more.

The formula is still essentially unchanged, big V8 at the front driven via the rear-wheels. Lots of fun, lots of noise, great big smile on my face. Can I live with it? Why not!

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