Audi 2015 Annual Report Download - page 152

ECONOMIC REPORT
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
152 >>
March 2015, for example, we unveiled the new Audi Q7 e-tron
3.0 TDI quattro. The first TDI plug-in hybrid with quattro drive
in its segment will be arriving at dealers in Germany in 2016. The
brand with the Four Rings also presented the first Audi TFSI
plug-in hybrid with quattro drive, the Q7 e-tron 2.0 TFSI quattro,
at the Auto Shanghai show. This model was developed espe-
cially for the Asian markets China, Singapore and Japan.
The Audi A6L e-tron, a sedan developed specifically for the
Chinese market, represents our next major step toward electric
mobility. The vehicle will be the first plug-in hybrid model built
locally by Audi in China and will be available to our Chinese
customers from 2016.
We unveiled the Audi e-tron quattro concept technology study
at the 2015 International Motor Show (IAA), our next mile-
stone in electric mobility. This all-electric-drive premium SUV
offers a real glimpse of our first all-electric series-production
model, which we plan to introduce on the market from 2018.
Further information on our alternative drive systems
can be found under “Product-based environmental
aspects” on pages 174 ff.
// CHARGING TECHNOLOGIES
We believe advances in the field of charging technology are
crucial to the success of electric mobility. We are advocating
the Combined Charging System (CCS), for example. This stand-
ard enables electric cars to be charged with direct current and
alternating current using a standard connector. A network of
CCS charging stations is already being set up in Europe and the
United States. At present, most of the stations available in the
market support a direct-current charging power of 50 kW.
However, the goal is to promote the creation and operation of
a rapid-charging infrastructure with a charging power of at
least 150 kW in time for the market introduction of the first
all-electric-drive volume-production Audi. In the future, rapid-
charging technology will give our customers the opportunity to
charge an SUV such as the Audi e-tron quattro concept with a
95 kWh battery to 80 percent of full power in less than half an
hour – that is enough power to cover a distance of more than
400 kilometers. It will enable us to offer user-friendly charging
technology, particularly for long-distance driving.
To promote this standard more widely and ensure a compre-
hensive infrastructure for charging electric vehicles in the
future, Audi and other partners established the Charging Inter-
face Initiative (CharIN) last year.
We also want to give our customers access to an automatic,
rapid, convenient and contactless charging process in the future
with Audi Wireless Charging (AWC). Because rapid direct-
current charging is hardly possible using the domestic infra-
structure due to limited grid performance, we have developed
an alternative in AWC technology – inductive alternating-
current charging – to make charging at home more convenient.
// INFOTAINMENT AND AUDI CONNECT
We continue to set trends with innovative products and services
in the field of infotainment and Audi connect. For example, the
Audi smartphone interface is optionally available in the new
Audi A4 and Audi Q7 for integrating Apple and Android smart-
phones. Audi phone box connects smartphones to the on-board
antenna. Using the Qi standard, it also supports inductive
charging of many of the smartphones currently on the market.
For discerning hi-fi enthusiasts, the Bang & Olufsen 3D Sound
System is optionally available in the new Audi A4 and Audi Q7.
A further infotainment component available for both these
new models is the Audi tablet for the rear seats, serving as a
mobile Rear Seat Entertainment concept.
The term Audi connect comprises all applications and devel-
opments that connect an Audi with its driver, the Internet, the
infrastructure and other vehicles. With Audi connect, an
LTE/UMTS module establishes the Internet connection with
download speeds of up to 100 Mbit/s. Thanks to an integrated
Wi-Fi hotspot, passengers can surf, stream and e-mail to their
heart’s content from up to eight mobile devices.
The driver also enjoys the benefits of a tailor-made portfolio of
online services from Audi connect – such as traffic information
online, Google Earth TM and Google Street View TM, parking
information, fuel prices as well as flight and train information.
The City Events services, an individually configurable news
service as well as travel and weather information complete the
range of Audi connect features in this area. With our connec-
tivity technology, drivers of many Audi models can also have
e-mails transferred from smartphone to car and read out loud.
They can also dictate and send text messages. Many Audi con-
nect services and functions can be handled with voice control.