Audi 2013 Annual Report Download - page 164

ECONOMIC REPORT
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
MANAGEMENT REPORT
161
A
// COMBINED CHARGING SYSTEM
Our all-embracing approach to the development of electric
mobility covers all aspects of electric driving, including charg-
ing technology.
The Combined Charging System is a cross-manufacturer, uni-
versal charging system for electric vehicles. It is the result of
cooperation between the Audi Group and several other German
and American carmakers, with the primary aim of standardizing
the charging system. The objective is to reduce the cost and
complexity of both developing and using electric vehicles by
defining a standard vehicle interface. This standardization goes
beyond the actual plug. It involves an integral charge control
system and electrical architecture in the Combined Charging
System for all types of charging – with alternating or direct
current – and also includes uniform safety devices. This cuts
costs and facilitates the worldwide spread of electric driving.
// OUTSTANDING SUCCESSES IN MOTORSPORT
2013 saw Audi win the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans with the
hybrid model Audi R18 e-tron quattro for the second successive
year, bringing the total number of wins for the brand with the
four rings to 12 in just 15 years. In addition to this victory, we
staged a successful defense of our World Champion title in the
Driver and Manufacturer classifications of the FIA World Endur-
ance Championship (FIA WEC), of which 2012 had been the
inaugural season.
In the 2013 season of the German Touring Car Masters (DTM),
Audi had the winning driver for the fifth time in the past seven
years in Mike Rockenfeller, and also the most successful team
in the shape of “Phoenix Racing.”
// OPENING OF AUDI E-GAS PLANT IN WERLTE
The Company took another step towards sustainable, carbon-
neutral mobility with the opening of the Audi e-gas plant in
Werlte in summer 2013. Using electricity generated from
renewable sources, such as wind power, it produces synthetic
methane, which in chemical terms is almost identical to natu-
ral gas. Natural gas vehicles, such as the A3 Sportback g-tron,
can run on this fuel. This vehicle runs almost carbon-neutrally,
because it only releases as much CO2 into the atmosphere as
was previously captured in the production process for the gas.
In the wider well-to-wheel calculation, which also includes the
CO2 emissions generated by the construction of wind turbines
and the Audi e-gas plant, the CO2 emissions of the A3 Sportback
g-tron are below 20 g/km. This environmental footprint takes
account of CO2 emissions along the entire process chain. It
has been audited and certified by TÜV NORD to the standard
DIN EN ISO 14040.
However, the Audi e-gas plant is about more than simply pro-
ducing a renewable fuel. For example, surplus power can be
converted into Audi e-gas, fed into the public gas distribution
network and stored for later use.
A specially created Audi e-gas fuel card is a further interesting
aspect for owners of the A3 Sportback g-tron. The amounts of
gas filled at public natural gas filling stations are recorded using
an accredited method, along similar lines to those already used
by customers of green power. When paying with the fuel card,
the amount of gas purchased is automatically registered and
then deducted from the total amount of Audi e-gas that the
Audi e-gas plant in Werlte has previously supplied to the natural
gas network.
/ AUDI CONNECT
In this day and age we are connected at all times and every-
where – at home, at work and while out and about. Audi con-
nect ensures that our customers are also connected to the
wider world when in their Audi, via a vehicle-integrated data
module. The optional MMI Navigation plus, which already
includes MMI touch in the Audi A3, A6, A7 Sportback and A8
car lines, gives the driver intuitive, swift access to Audi connect
services. The scope for making complex inputs by writing with
the finger or by voice input not only makes the operating pro-
cess simpler, but also helps to improve vehicle safety. This is a
landmark development in the automotive human-machine
interface by the Audi brand.
Depending on model, Audi connect already offers as many as
23 different services spanning the navigation, mobility, com-
munication and infotainment areas.