Pilot plant in Dresden, Germany, delivers first consignment of high quality Audi e-diesel using CO2 from biogas and ambient air

• New synthetic fuel could make a significant contribution to climate protection 
• No need for mineral oil: e-diesel made from water, CO2 and green power
• Synthetic petrol (Audi e-gasoline) also in development

Ingolstadt/Berlin, April 22, 2015 – Audi has taken another big step in the development of new, CO2-neutral fuels: A pilot plant in Dresden, Germany, has started production of the synthetic fuel Audi e-d iesel.

After a commissioning phase of just four months, the research facility in Dresden started producing its first batches of high-quality diesel fuel a few days ago. The energy technology corporation sunfire is Audi’s project partner and the plant operator. It operates according to the power-to-liquid (PtL) principle and uses green power to produce a liquid fuel. The only raw materials needed are water and carbon dioxide. The CO2 used is currently supplied by a biogas facility. In addition, initially a portion of the CO2 needed is extracted from the ambient air by means of direct air capturing, a technology of Audi’s Zurich-based partner Climeworks.

Reiner Mangold, Head of Sustainable Product Development at Audi, sees Audi e-diesel and Audi e-fuels in general as an important component that complements electric mobility: “In developing Audi e-diesel we are promoting another fuel based on CO2 that will allow long-distance mobility with virtually no impact on the climate. Using CO2 as a raw material represents an opportunity not just for the automotive industry in Germany, but also to transfer the principle to other sectors and countries.”

Production of Audi e-diesel involves various steps: First, water heated up to form steam is broken down into hydrogen and oxygen by means of high-temperature electrolysis. This process, involving a temperature in excess of 800 degrees Celsius, is more efficient than conventional techniques because of heat recovery, for example. Another special feature of high-temperature electrolysis is that it can be used dynamically, to stabilise the grid when production of green power peaks.

In two further steps, the hydrogen reacts with the CO2 in synthesis reactors, again under pressure and at high temperature. The reaction product is a liquid made from long-chain hydrocarbon compounds, known as blue crude. The efficiency of the overall process – from renewable power to liquid hydrocarbon – is very high at around 70 percent. Similarly to a fossil crude oil, blue crude can be refined to yield the end product Audi e-diesel. This synthetic fuel is free from sulphur and aromatic hydrocarbons, and its high cetane number means it is readily ignitable. As lab tests conducted at Audi have shown, it is suitable for admixing with fossil diesel or, prospectively, for use as a fuel in its own right.

Construction work on the facility in Dresden-Reick kicked off in July 2013 and the plant was commissioned on November 14, 2014. The plant is set to produce over 3,000 litres of Audi e-diesel over the coming months. Audi is sunfire’s exclusive partner in the automotive sector.

Over and above the partnership with sunfire, Audi has been active in the development of CO2-neutral fuels – Audi e-fuels – since 2009. The Audi e-gas plant in Werlte, Lower Saxony, already produces Audi e-gas (synthetic methane) in a comparable manner to power the Audi A3 Sportback g-tron*, which is available in countries in which a suitable fuelling infrastructure exists. Audi is also conducting joint research into the synthetic manufacture of Audi e-gasoline with Global Bioenergies, of France. In a further project, Audi has joined forces with the U.S. company Joule, which uses microorganisms to produce the synthetic fuels Audi e-diesel and Audi e-ethanol.

Article source: www.audi.co.uk

Using magnetic fields, Audi magnetic ride adjusts the firmness of the dampers to the current driving situation within a fraction of a second. 

Drivers can choose between a comfortable and a sporty driving mode to suit the driving situation and their personal tastes. In both modes the suspension's damping forces are continuously adjusted to the current driving situation. The sport mode delivers direct feedback from the road. 

The car corners with agility and responds spontaneously to steering inputs. The normal mode is geared more towards comfort to help eliminate driving fatigue on long journeys.

With Audi magnetic ride, the liquid contained in the dampers has so-called magneto-rheological properties. Tiny magnetic particles are bound inside the basic oil which is used to fill the dampers. 

When a magnetic field is applied, the magnetic particles are aligned against the direction of movement of the damper. As a result, the damping force of the damper is increased depending on the strength of the magnetic field. 

This allows the firmness of the dampers to be increased or decreased within a fraction of a second. A control unit computes the optimum damping force for the individual driving situation. It does so using information from the wheel travel sensors and communication with other systems such as the steering and ESP. 

A switch labelled with a shock absorber symbol on the centre console is used to control Audi magnetic ride. It activates and deactivates the sport mode. The instrument panel indicates activation/deactivation of sport mode and an LED in the function switch lights up when sport mode is active.

Article source: www.audi.co.uk

Compact central driving controller unit makes automated driving possible

• Central controller manages all systems for piloted driving
• High-end computing power on a surface the size of a tablet PC
• Technology ready for series production within the next two years

Ingolstadt, April 10, 2015 - The central driver assistance controller (zFAS) is the core of future systems for automated driving currently under development by Audi AG. This mastermind unit uses cutting edge, high performance processors and will work its way into the Audi model range step by step in the foreseeable future. It is a key milestone on the road to new, automated driving functions and a demonstration of the pioneering role that Audi is assuming in the field of piloted driving. The technologies specialist Delphi has been awarded the contract for series production of the units.

Audi developed this elemental control centre unit in collaboration with internationally leading technology partners. Under the direction of Audi AG, a team of specialists from TTTech, Mobileye, nVidia and Delphi jointly developed the various hardware and software components. Audi has chosen Delphi as the future system supplier for the zFAS electronics board.

A wide range of sensor information comes together in the zFAS unit. The controller uses this to quickly compute a complete model of the vehicle surroundings and makes this information available to the various on-board assistance systems. It is thus the central interface for all piloted driving functions.

At the moment, most driver assistance systems are managed by separate control elements. In the future, Audi will be the first automobile manufacturer to implement this function in a single, central domain architecture. Audi has taken a holistic approach to consolidate the portfolio of functions, the sensors necessary, the electronics hardware and the software architecture into a central system. From the very beginning, the primary focus was on the safety concept.

High performance electronic components are a prerequisite for high powered computing in a compact package. The zFAS board is equipped with both the EyeQ3 mobile processor from Mobileye and the new Tegra K1 from nVidia. The tremendous computing power provided by this solution corresponds to the complete electronics architecture of a well-equipped mid-size car. Thanks to the high degree of integration, the new board is barely the size of a tablet PC. Its modular concept makes the zFAS flexible, scalable and thus future-proof in every respect.

Audi is also working with leading suppliers such as Bosch, Continental, Valeo and Delphi on the sensors and actuating elements, such as braking and steering systems. The objective is to develop common standards and offer customers modern driver assistance systems for greater safety, comfort and convenience on the road to fully automatic driving.

In the near future, Audi connect will enable the piloted cars from Audi to also learn continuously as they drive. The data computed by the zFAS board will be transferred via the cellular phone network — via LTE, where available — to an IT backend in the cloud. This will process these data using algorithms for machine learning and artificial intelligence before sending the data back to the car. The zFAS board will in this way continuously extend its capabilities to master even complex situations increasingly better. The piloted cars from Audi thus learn more every day and with each new situation they experience.

Article source: www.audi.co.uk

At home

Find the charging unit behind the Audi rings on the A3 Sportback e-tron grille. Connect the cable for the car's charge unit into a socket at home or use the wall box charging unit.

On the road

During your journey, energy recuperation technology converts kinetic energy from your brakes and stores it in the Lithium-ion battery. This energy is used to relieve the load on the alternator, helping to improve fuel efficiency.

At 1,000s of UK charge points

There are charge points across the UK, in car parks, supermarkets, on the street, right where you need them.

Article source: www.audi.co.uk