Audi is bringing more than 20 models to Australia in 2025 alone and with that comes new features and systems, some with unfamiliar names.
Like a lot of other European brands, Audi already has a lineup of combustion models fitted with mild-hybrid technology.
This technology brings electrical assistance to a powertrain, improving fuel economy by such means as quickly stopping and restarting the engine at idle while still keeping the rest of the car’s systems functional.
What you may have been confused by – if you had even heard of it – was the German brand’s so-called mild-hybrid plus (MHEV Plus) tech, which is a new system designed as an advancement of the standard mild-hybrid setup.
It’s coming on new combustion versions of Audi cars like the A5 and Q5 next year, so here’s how it all works.
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Audi A5
As the name suggests, MHEV Plus is the next generation of Audi’s current mild-hybrid systems and is separate to its plug-in hybrid (PHEV) lineup.
The easiest way to think about it is as something approaching the hybrid systems found in cars from Toyota and Hyundai. That’s because unlike a traditional mild-hybrid, cars equipped with MHEV Plus have the capacity to drive in fully electric (EV) mode at low speeds.
Such scenarios include pulling away from a stop, navigating car parks, or performing parking manoeuvres, and the system can still stop the engine while rolling to travel in EV mode for short periods of time.
When it’s time to switch to combustion power, the MHEV Plus system is designed to deactivate seamlessly. Under high load, the car’s onboard computers can engage both the engine and MHEV Plus hardware at the same time for a power boost.
Audi A5 Avant 2.0 TDI drivetrain
The headlining feature of MHEV Plus is the addition of a “powertrain generator” behind the car’s transmission, in addition to the traditional mild-hybrid’s starter generator used primarily for restarting the engine while at a standstill.
It’s all fed by a water-cooled 48-volt lithium iron phosphate battery, which is larger than the 12V unit found in current four-cylinder Q5 models. For comparison, a Hyundai Tucson Hybrid has a 270V battery.
According to Audi, the powertrain generator attached to the transmission is capable of providing up to 18kW and 230Nm.
Equally, the brand says “up to 25kW can be recuperated via the powertrain generator” depending on the driving situation, allowing the battery to charge on the move.
Audi Australia national product manager Matthew Dale says MHEV Plus is the next step forward in developing hybrid tech for combustion cars.
“It’s our way of adopting or developing that technology in a slightly different way,” he said.
“Mild-hybrids will stick around. It’s an evolution of that which will come out in other models, and then as that further evolves you’ll see more models with that technology.”
MHEV Plus will initially roll out on the new A5 and Q5 in early and late 2025 respectively. Audi Australia has also confirmed it will continue to sell its traditional mild-hybrids in other current models at the same time.
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