ABT Sportsline draws on long-standing experience with electric powertrains. In 2009, for instance, the company contributed its technological know-how to the development of the vehicles used in the E-Tour Allgäu project. The aim back then was to motivate tourists in particular to opt for eco-conscious mobility. Charging stations in Oberstdorf, Memmingen, Bad Wörishofen, Kempten or Immenstadt make for a solid infrastructure – which is attractive for the eCaddy as well. For one, it allows the vehicle to be ‘refuelled’ at many locations within the region and for the other, it made extensive advance testing of the innovative delivery van’s range on the circuit developed by the E-Tour Allgäu project possible.
More juice, more stamina
The eCaddy delivers 88 hp, plus putting remarkable torque of 300 N m on the road. The energy for the innovative powertrain is supplied by a lithium-iron cell battery. The Kempten-based company relies on this proven technology because “it’s safe, tested and ageing-resistant,” says Hans-Jürgen Abt. In the laboratory the cells were extensively tested for short-circuiting and cycling resistance, in other words for vulnerability and output development under permanent load. The battery easily withstands 3,000 cycles – equating to a travel distance of nearly half a million kilometres. But as the vehicle has been specifically designed for businesses that travel the roads of the mountainous Allgäu region, ABT has equipped it with a battery that is 30 per cent larger compared to those used by other electric transporters. It has a capacity of 28 kilowatt hours – which in the standardised test is enough to cover a 209-kilometre distance. In the reality of a mountainous region it’s clearly less. The ABT test revealed that the electric delivery van achieves a range of 139 kilometres on a single charge. If it threatens to run out of juice it can be plugged into any socket that normally serves to supply vacuum cleaners and other household equipment with energy. But the eCaddy can also be ‘refuelled’ on the 3-phase 16A CE outlets of the charging stations in the Allgäu.
Electricity gained by breaking
‘Recuperation’ is the magic word that refers to feeding energy back into a system. Whenever the brakes are applied, this generates voltage which is used to recharge the battery cells. That’s why the eCaddy doesn’t have a tachometer but an instrument that indicates how much energy is currently drawn from the battery and charged back into it. While this may sound pretty complicated it’s actually quite simple in day-to-day reality. The driver of the delivery van keeps an eye on the speedometer because he or she doesn’t want to be caught speeding by the camera at the Rettenberg exit – and can tell how much energy is still stored in the Caddy. Besides that, the driver can simply enjoy the comfort of their super-silent vehicle. As usual, ABT has thoroughly tested the technology and even puts motorsport know-how on the road in the Caddy. After all, the Kempten-based outfit has been causing a sensation in the FIA Formula E Championship. The electric powertrain of the racing car puts 272 hp on the race tracks in China, Mexico, Germany or the United States while the battery – just like the one in the ‘civilian’ eCaddy – has a capacity of 28 kWh.
