Audi 2010 Annual Report Download - page 25

the grid also opens the door to new
comfort and safety features, such as
bringing the cabin to a preset
temperature before setting off .
At Audi, the future has already
begun. At present over 400
specialists at the company’s Technical
Development division are working in
the fi eld of electric mobility with the
support of several hundred colleagues
from the widest variety of fi elds.
At the same time, a strategic
bundling of activities is taking place.
To this end, Audi has established the
e-performance project house for
electric driving. In addition, a team of
Audi development engineers and
scientists from a variety of universities,
research institutions and startup
companies have been working since
fall 2009 on the development of a new
total concept, from the body to the
battery to the power electronics. This
is part of the e-performance research
project sponsored by the German
Federal Ministry of Education and
Research.
A number of substantial challenges
still remain to be solved, in particular
with regard to battery technology.
Since the introduction of lithium-ion
batteries for vehicle applications,
“development has made huge strides
in power density,” says Dietrich
Engelhart. But a range of 250 kilo-
meters still means 10 hours of
charging time on the residential power
grid. By contrast, fi lling up at the fuel
pump takes just a few minutes.
So there is still a lot to do. Given
diminishing resources and the debate
about climate change, the develop-
ment is unstoppable and there also
seems to be no turning back.
“We don’t know today how long the
petroleum reserves will last,”
says Stefan Keller, “but we do know
one thing: They are fi nite.”
THOMAS AMMANN
Silvretta cockpit
The display with integrated functions of the Multi Media Interface (MMI) indicates
the battery charge status. The round power meter to the left shows the overall
output of the system and the respective operating states.
Interior
Visual and functional references to the fundamental concept of lightweight
construction characterize the design of the Audi e-tron Spyder – fl owing
transitions between exterior and interior which produce a formal unit.
Design study
A sketch of the Audi e-tron Spyder: The open-top two-seater features the most
advanced and simultaneously the most consistent evolution of the current Audi
design language, and provides initial hints at the design of future Audi sports cars.
More than 400 specialists are
currently working in the fi eld
of electric mobility at Audi.
23
Find out more about the next
chapter in mobility at:
www.audi.com/ar2010/e-tron
O