Audi 2010 Annual Report Download - page 58

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Effi ciency
quattro and lightweight design with
innovative hybrid technology.
The vehicle demonstrates that driving
in the electrical age means anything
but sacrifi ce. It impresses with the
performance and acceleration data
of a powerful six-cylinder engine but
with the fuel consumption values
of an effi cient four-cylinder TDI:
less than 7.0 liters of gasoline per
100 kilometers in the normal cycle.
This corresponds to CO2 emissions of
less than 160 grams per kilometer –
outstanding values for an SUV of
this size.
Audi is heading for the future with
its fi rst full hybrid in the premium
segment. “The Q5 hybrid quattro*
has a strategic mission,” says Bernd
Huber, Technical Project Manager for
the Q5 hybrid. “It is the groundbreaker
for electrifi cation at Audi.” The hybrid
system in the Q5 hybrid quattro
expands the Audi modular effi ciency
platform to include innovative hybrid
modules. This forms the basis for
its use in other Audi models with
longitudinally mounted engines,
including the new generations of the
A6 and A8 models. You can therefore
expect to see the “hybrid” badge on
additional Audi models.
Technical development has
progressed in leaps and bounds in
recent years: downsizing with the
combustion engines, greater use of
electronic systems, the development
of more powerful battery technologies.
With the Q5, Audi is one of the fi rst
manufacturers to use a powerful,
yet relatively lightweight lithium-ion
battery. The compact unit weighs just
38 kilograms and is placed in a crash-
protected area under the cargo fl oor.
The intelligent interplay of the
components is what makes hybrid
driving so fascinating. The Audi Q5
hybrid quattro can be driven in a
number of diff erent operating modes:
with the combustion engine alone,
with the electric drive alone or in hybrid
mode, in which the two systems work
together. These modes are managed
fully automatically using the hybrid
manager in the engine control unit.
Power transfer is by means of an
8-speed tiptronic specially modifi ed for
use in the Q5 hybrid quattro.
The driver can easily change between
three driving programs using a button
on the center console and the gear
selector lever. EV mode gives priority
to the electric drive, D mode con-
trols both motors for optimal fuel
consumption, and S mode as well as
the tiptronic gate are designed for a
sporty driving style.
The top priority remains enhanced
effi ciency. “The development work was
focused on a high percentage of electric
driving,” says Jörg Kerner, Head of Drive
Electrifi cation at Audi. At a constant
speed of 60 km/h, the purely electric
range is as much as three kilometers,
which is suffi cient for most residential
areas and many inner cities.
And where does the electricity come
from? Not from the wall outlet – the
Q5 does not use a plug-in system. The
electric motor gets most of its energy
by means of recuperation, an energy
recovery process. During recuperation,
the electric motor acts as a generator
and recovers energy when the driver
brakes or releases the accelerator. The
vehicle’s kinetic energy is converted to
electrical energy and stored in the drive
system battery, so that it can be used
again later for subsequent acceleration
or to power the vehicle’s energy system.
The payoff from this effi ciency
comes when starting off . During strong
acceleration, or “boosting,” the electric
motor and the combustion engine work
together; the entire system output is
briefl y available during acceleration
under full load.
The Q5 hybrid quattro comes with a
new display concept for the individual
driving states. The power meter shows
Keeping things in check: The power meter
(left) and the display in the middle make the
various driving modes of the hybrid drive
transparent and show the power fl ows.
“We want to drive in all-electric
mode whenever and wherever
possible.”
* Fuel consumption and emission fi gures at the end of the Annual Report
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