SEAT Leon Verde plug-in hybrid prototype detailed

This is the SEAT Leon Verde, a plug-in hybrid prototype that aims to push the introduction of electric vehicles in Spain through public and private funding.

Unveiled at the closing ceremony of the Cenit Verde (Spanish for ‘Green Zenith’) research project that produced it, the SEAT Leon Verde sees a 122 PS 1.4 TSI petrol engine, a 102 PS electric motor and an 8.8 kWh battery joining hands to develop a combined peak output of 170 PS.

The car has an electric-only range of 50 km and a maximum petrol+electric range of well over 810 km. This equates to an impressive combined fuel consumption figure of 1.6 litres per 100 km and just 36 grams of CO2 emitted per km.

The driver can wirelessly connect his/her smartphone to a Human-Machine Interface (for which, SEAT says, two patents were applied) to manage energy consumption, battery status, recharge management and estimated CO2 savings.

Something called a Driving Cycle Predictor has also been developed with a patent – this remembers and analyses the driver’s driving style to optimise energy consumption and reduce emissions.

The SEAT Leon Verde also features a Lear 20 kW two-way on-board charger that can give electricity to the grid as well as take from it.

Working with Cobra, Endesa, Iberdrola and Red Eléctrica Espana, SEAT has also come up with a new approach to charging infrastructure that reduces load on the grid and saves the user money.

Essentially, the system detects when overall energy consumption is low on the grid, and charges the car only during those times (when electricity rates are low) – useful when charging overnight. Of course, this can be overridden with a quick charge function.

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