The newly developed electric Audi A2 has beaten the Nissan Leaf’s charge longevity in a recent test.

The German car maker’s new electrically powered Audi A2 succeeded in covering 372 miles during a7 hour journey with just a single charge, beating the Nissan Leaf’s record of covering 100 miles with a single charge.

Audi say the secret to their success is down to a new technology battery which the company has been developing in conjunction with inventor Mirko Hanneman. The new style battery is 97% efficient and uses DBM Energy’s KOLIBRI AlphaPolymer Technology. The batteries can be charged from any socket point, however if a high DC voltage socket point is used, the car will be fully charged in just 6 minutes.

The test saw the electric powered Audi finish its 372 mile trip with power to spare. The driver didn’t attempt to conserve energy while travelling as the Audi’s in car heaters were also in use during the trip. The electric Audi A2, known as the Lekker Mobil, travelled from Munich Southern Germany to the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin as part of the test drive.

Nissan’s version of the electric car, The Leaf, is able to cover 160km which is approximately 100 miles, in a single charge. The Nissan Leaf is due to go on sale in the US and Japan at the end of the year, with plans to expand into the European market in 2011.