On June 29, 1932, on the initiative of the State Bank of Saxony, the former Audiwerke AG, Horchwerke AG, and Zschopauer Motorenwerke J. S. Rasmussen AG (DKW) companies merge to form Auto Union AG. The new entity simultaneously concludes an agreement with Wanderer Werke AG on the purchase and lease of Wanderer’s automotive division. The new group is based in Chemnitz, with administration located at the DKW plant in Zschopau until 1936. Following its creation, Auto Union AG is the second-largest motor vehicle group in Germany. The company logo shows four interlocking rings, representing the inseparable unity of the four founding companies. The brand names Audi, DKW, Horch, and Wanderer are retained. Each of the group’s four brands is assigned a specific market segment: While DKW is active in the motorcycle and small cars segment and Wanderer builds and sells mid-size cars, Audi markets cars in the deluxe mid-size segment and Horch stands for luxury cars at the top end of the market.

A new beginning – the Four Rings in Bavaria

While Sebastian Mock, Full Professor for Civil and Corporate Law at the Vienna University of Economics and Business, will examine the consequences of the Great Depression for the German automobile industry and the associated challenges during the foundation of Auto Union AG, Audi historian Ralf Friese will concentrate on the new beginning in Ingolstadt. In 1945, after the end of the Second World War, Auto Union AG, located in the Soviet Occupation Zone, is expropriated. Its factories are dismantled and in 1948 the company is removed from the commercial register of the City of Chemnitz. At the end of 1945, senior Auto Union employees initially establish a depot for Auto Union spare parts in the garrison town Ingolstadt. On September 3, 1949, this becomes Auto Union GmbH, which in the same year begins producing delivery trucks and motorcycles. Tumultuous decades follow, until finally in the 1980s the Audi brand begins to find a more premium position on the market.

In this context, the “Vorsprung durch Technik” is accompanied by developments such as quattro, TDI, aerodynamics in body development and consistent lightweight construction, since 1985 the product and the company have the same name. With the recent redesign of the Four Rings as part of the introduction of the new Audi Q8 e-tron, Audi shows that the brand and its logo can continue to reinvent themselves, even after 90 years.

Article source: www.audi-mediacenter.com

Less than eight months after the start of the project, the Audi S1 Hoonitron had to be ready for the first test drives and the filming with Ken Block and his team – an ambitious task for the Audi Sport team in Neckarsulm and the Audi Design team. The result is more than impressive: since the release of the Electrikhana film three weeks ago, millions of people have been following the S1 Hoonitron drifting through the streets, casinos and parking garages of Las Vegas with Ken Block at the wheel.

Facts and figures on a race car from Audi like never before.

Well balanced – weight distribution and dimensions

• The weight distribution between the front and rear axles is almost equal at 52:48.
• The wheelbase is less than 2.4 meters, which is considerably less than the 2,563 millimeters of an Audi A1 Sportback, Audi’s entry-level model, for example. This increases agility when cornering, because the short wheelbase favors yaw moments, i.e. rotating around the vertical axis, which is very desirable in Electrikhana stunts.
• The suspension with McPherson struts on the front and rear axles and more than 200 millimeters of spring travel is designed for the extreme demands up to and including jumping crests.
• With this basic concept, the Audi S1 e-tron quattro Hoonitron has the ideal characteristics for drifting and for stunts on different terrains.

Electric powerhouse – double source of pleasure

• The all-wheel drivetrain of the Audi S1 e-tron quattro Hoonitron is fully electric. The front and rear axles are each powered by a motor-generator unit (MGU), which comes from motorsport.
• Each of these two units only weighs 55 kilograms, including the transmission.
• Four high-voltage batteries from a standard Audi PHEV model, each with a capacity of 14.4 kWh, totaling 57.6 kWh, supply the drivetrain system and operate at 800 volts.

Perfect athlete – plenty of torque and power

• The electric power distribution between the front and rear axles is fully variable. It can be perfectly adapted to the driver’s wishes and can precisely influence the self-steering behavior.
• Each MGU develops 250 kW of power and 320 Nm of torque. This results in a total output of 500 kW and 640 Nm of torque.
• Since the electric motors reach maximum speeds of 28,000 rpm, the engineering team defined a gear ratio of about 12:1 for the drifts. Taking losses into account, this results in around 3,000 Nm of torque on each axle, or 6,000 Nm in total.
• Thanks to these extreme torque figures, it is possible for Ken Block to pull off spectacular drifts and achieve a wheel speed of more than 200 km/h.
• In Audi’s long motorsport history, the combination of these features in conjunction with the special purpose is unique.

Article source: www.audi-mediacenter.com

The new Audi charging service ensures drivers of the brand with the four rings can charge conveniently and reliably almost anywhere in Europe.

The Audi charging service will start on January 1, 2023, in 27 countries, including Germany, and will expand over the course of the year. It will offer access to approx. 400,000 charging points, operated by more than 800 CPOs (charge point operators) including roughly 1,900 high-performance chargers (HPC) from the provider IONITY allowing for fast charging with up to 350 kilowatts of power along major traffic routes.

To make its new charging offering possible, Audi is cooperating with Volkswagen Group Charging GmbH and their Elli brand. The Audi e-tron Charging Service, which was launched four years ago after the introduction of Audi’s first fully electric model, will be replaced and new customers or drivers of current Audi models will switch to the new service with a choice of three dynamic tariffs.

Audi will pay the base fee for the pro tariff for the first year

The pro tariff is aimed primarily at EV drivers who frequently have to charge on the road. In Germany, the monthly base fee is €14.99, but drivers are offered a price of 45 cents per kilowatt hour at alternating current charging stations (AC). Recharging the vehicle’s high-voltage battery at IONITY quick-charging stations is even more attractive compared to the standard prices at fast-charging stations, with the pro tariff; currently high-power charging cost only 35 cents per kilowatt hour.

Anyone who buys a new fully electric Audi will be able to charge at competitive rates from day one – Audi will take care of the base fee for the pro tariff for the first year. However, even when including the base fee, the monthly charge is amortized after only 35 kilowatt hours a month, unlike the two other tariffs. This is equivalent to one average charge at one of the IONITY chargers.

For drivers who only need to charge on the road occasionally, the plus tariff is available, with a monthly base fee of €7.99. This option offers economical prices at AC and DC charging stations with a minimum charge of only 48 kilowatt hours required at a DC charging station per month. The basic tariff has no base fee – kilowatt prices are higher but for this, the tariff provides full access to the Europe-wide charging network and, like the other tariffs, provides all the comfort functions associated with Audi charging. The basic tariff is suited to home chargers who occasionally need an uncomplicated charging solution on the road, without fixed monthly obligations.

The table at the end of this MediaInfo provides a precise overview of the individual tariffs in Germany. When charging abroad, the respective country-specific defined prices apply – this gives drivers of electric vehicles full transparency about the charging costs they can expect even before they travel outside Germany.

Convenient contract management and billing

The comfort functions include integration of the charging points, connected to Audi charging in the vehicle navigation’s charge planning, both in the MMI (Multi Media Interface) and in the app, which can be used to send a pre-planned route to the car. Additionally, via the RFID card (radio-frequency identification) provided or with the myAudi app, the charging stations can be activated, and the charging process started.

Whilst the “Plug & Charge” functionality, which is currently already available at IONITY and Aral Pulse charging stations, is expected to be offered at more providers. Drivers only need to insert the charging cable after activating once in the vehicle and the charging station and car communicate via an encrypted connection. The charging process starts automatically, and billing is done via a means of payment that has been saved in the myAudi app, such as a credit card. “Plug & Charge” will be available in the new Audi charging network shortly after the market launch.

Additionally, customer benefits in the myAudi App will be improved. For example, in the future, car owners will be able to manage the complete Audi contract and book in another tariff with just a few clicks. The app also indicates the prices of the selected charging station and clearly summarizes almost all charging processes. Audi charging is exclusively for Audi customers who drive a battery electric vehicle (BEV) or a plug-in hybrid (PHEV).

Article source: www.audi-mediacenter.com

For years, Audi has proven “Vorsprung durch Technik” stands for not only the highest engineering artistry, state-of-the-art design and digital experiences, but also for new holistic mobility solutions and the Audi charging hub is the latest example of this. Following the successful pilot phase of the first Audi charging hub in the world, in Nuremberg, the second Audi charging hub opened at the beginning of November 2022 in Zurich – in the vibrant banking district of Oerlikon, directly in front of Messe Zürich’s parking garage.

Quick-charging in the city

The ceremonial unveiling of the first site in Switzerland kicked off at ‘the square’ at Zurich Airport. AMAG’s competence center for electromobility was the ideal starting point for an electrifying journey into the world of high-power charging. Ralph Hollmig, the head of the Audi charging hub project at AUDI AG, ramped up excitement with introductionary information about the new hub: “The Audi charging hub pilot project in Nuremberg proved that our unique concept has its finger on the pulse at all times. The urban charging concept is for city drivers, and it offers them an efficient alternative to charging from home.”

In urban areas, finding a free charging station can be a challenge; quick-charging opportunities with correspondingly high charging performance, like those on the autobahns, are nearly nonexistent in urban areas. Audi is remedying this by allowing drivers of electric cars who don’t have the opportunity to charge at home to charge their vehicles in a way that’s easy and significantly faster than other charging infrastructure.

A heart made of second-life batteries

The heart of the Audi charging hub is made of charging cubes – modular containers that, in addition to a quick-charging infrastructure, contain used lithium-ion batteries created from disassembled Audi test vehicles. Martin Wosnitza, Head of Business Innovation and the Audi project leader for the Audi charging hub in Switzerland, explains: “The second-life batteries serve as buffer storage, the advantage of which is the fact that we don’t need an elaborate, expensive infrastructure with a high-voltage grid and transformers. The hub only requires minor power demands from the local power grid. The Audi charging hub is in a position to bring a sustainable quick-charging infrastructure with second-life battery storage to all the places where the power grid would prove insufficient.”

Recharging for man and machine

At the site in Zurich, there are a total of four covered high-power charging (HPC) points with up to 320 kW. Its storage capacity amounts to 1.05 MWh – comparable to the storage capacity of 11 Audi e-tron 55s – and it can supply power for up to 60 electric vehicles per day. The hub also uses 100-percent renewable energy, while a photovoltaic system on the roof over the charging cubes supplies additional green energy.

Thanks to its modular system, the hub requires little space, can be individually adapted to its surroundings, and it be dismantled later on – in short, it’s a tailor-made quick-charging solution for urban locations. The charging hubs are available in a variety of sizes without much preliminary work or elaborate construction. This flexibility allowed the Audi charging hub in Zurich to forgo a lounge, because the immediate vicinity has a wide range of services. Two large 55-inch screens provide essential information, in addition to tips about maximising your charge.

A crucial component of this variable, compact concept is the swivel arm that’s a modified version of the one at the pilot location in Nuremberg. With this, cars can be charged across the entire width of the space with exceptional accessibility – regardless of where the manufacturer put the charging port. The operating displays at the charging points are height-adjustable, and the areas between the charging cubes and vehicles are wide enough for wheelchair users.

Charging slots booked via app

Audi customers can use the myAudi app to book an individual charging slot in advance for 45 minutes at no extra cost. Reservations are available for the first 15 minutes, after which they’ll be canceled. The Audi charging hub can be used by all brands of electric vehicles that are equipped with a CCS charging port, which is common in Europe.

Outstanding innovation

For the premium brand with the four rings, the Audi charging hub marks another step in its evolution toward sustainable and individualized mobility, and it has also been presented with international accolades.

Head of Marketing Katharina Momani proudly said: “The innovative Audi charging hub in Nuremberg was presented with the renowed Red Dot Award in 2022 in the ‘Brands & Communication Design’ category, and it also won the ABC Best of Best Award in 2022 in the ‘Mobility & Innovation’ category. We’re convinced that we’ll continue this success with the refined concept in Zurich.”

The jury for the global design and innovation award explained: “Thanks to the Audi charging hub, charging electric cars is now as easy as visiting a gas station, only more convenient. It’s a clean and well-designed charging concept that factors in not only technology, but also people.”

Article source: www.audi-mediacenter.com