What's the news?
Skoda's Vision X Concept - which should morph into a sub-Karoq and Kodiaq-sized SUV in the Czech manufacturer's current range - that is slated for the Geneva Motor Show has been revealed to be a 'three-way' hybrid that can run off petrol, electric... and compressed natural gas (CNG).
Skoda is claiming that it is the first car to combine these power sources, forming a sustainable and clean drive concept that emits just 89g/km of CO2. It's also a vehicle which can switch between front-, rear- or four-wheel drive as required, as it doesn't feature a physical propshaft between its two axles, clever onboard technology instead deciding which drive mode to use.
The internal combustion engine up front is a 1.5-litre TSI G-TEC four-cylinder turbocharged engine that can run on petrol or CNG. If it is running on gas alone, peak power is 130hp, with 250Nm to back it up. At the back is a conventional petrol tank but there are also two CNG tanks, one under the rear seat and the other behind the rear axle.
In terms of the drivetrain, the combustion engine drives the front wheels and the two electric motors handle the rears. However, this is a hybrid and not a plug-in or full electric car, so the Vision X can only cover up to 2km on its electric power only; most of the time, it is using hybrid power to move, rather than zero-emissions running.
When the Vision X is in four-wheel-drive mode, the belt-driven starter-generator (BSG) and electric motor on the rear axle - powered by a 48-volt lithium-ion battery system - support acceleration, but the e-motors switch off when not needed, allowing the Skoda to harvest kinetic energy during braking and coasting, which it stores to power the electric units later. There's also 70Nm of torque available from a standstill, allowing for nippy town driving, and the Vision X can do 650km on its multiple power reserves, while managing a 9.3-second 0-100km/h sprint and achieving a top speed of 200km/h too.
Anything else?
Christian Strube, Skoda board member for technical development, said: "At Skoda, the developments and preparations for the mobility of tomorrow are in full swing. With the Vision X hybrid study, we offer an outlook on the further development of our model range. CNG vehicles are clean and inexpensive. Moreover, with the hybrid, our customers can experience zero-emission driving."