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Audi debuts hydrogen-fueled electric A7 in Los Angeles (pictures)

The Audi A7 h-tron was a surprise addition to the 2014 Los Angeles auto show, demonstrating the work Audi has been doing with fuel cell technology.

Wayne Cunningham
Wayne Cunningham reviews cars and writes about automotive technology for CNET's Roadshow. Prior to the automotive beat, he covered spyware, Web building technologies, and computer hardware. He began covering technology and the Web in 1994 as an editor of The Net magazine.
Wayne Cunningham
Audi A7 h-tron
1 of 11 Wayne Cunningham/CNET

Audi showed off its A7 h-tron, a new fuel cell development vehicle, at the 2014 Los Angeles auto show.

Audi A7 h-tron
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The A7 h-tron represents one of several efforts by Audi to develop a zero emission vehicle. The car uses a unique mix of lithium-ion battery and electricity-generating fuel cell.

Audi A7 h-tron
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A lithium-ion battery pack and four hydrogen tanks packaged in the car feeding a fuel cell stack power electric motors at the front and rear wheels.

Audi A7 h-tron
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The right rear fender holds a hydrogen filler for the car's 5 kilogram hydrogen tank capacity.

Audi A7 h-tron
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The left rear fender has a J1772 electric charging port, connected to the car's 8.8 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack.

Audi A7 h-tron
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Audi offered rides at the show to demonstrate the car's practicality.

Audi A7 h-tron
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The cabin retains much of what you would expect from an A7.

Audi A7 h-tron
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Audi places a power gauge on the left of the instrument cluster.

Audi A7 h-tron
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With electric motors at the front and rear wheels, the A7 h-tron doesn't need a traditional gear box. This shifter on the console selects the drive mode.

Audi A7 h-tron
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Audi implemented special screens to monitor the drivetrain performance, showing when power is regenerating, coming from the battery or generated by the fuel cell.

Audi A7 h-tron
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This consumption graph gives a rough idea of remaining hydrogen and battery power.

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