Pioneering sustainable mobility and green energy. In alignment with the global urgency to combat climate change, Audi has set forth a visionary strategy aimed at achieving net carbon neutrality across its operations by the year 2050. This initiative directly supports the objectives outlined in the Paris Climate Accords, underscoring Audi’s commitment to environmental stewardship.

The cornerstone of this strategy is the integration of renewable energy sources to power Audi’s e-tron electric vehicle fleet across Europe, highlighting the company’s dedication to reducing the carbon footprint associated with the utilization phase of its vehicles.

Audi's Commitment to Sustainable Mobility and Green EnergyThis phase, representing the duration of time a vehicle is actively used by consumers, is critical as it accounts for approximately half of the total emissions produced over a vehicle’s life cycle.

Defining Carbon Neutrality

Audi’s interpretation of achieving net-zero carbon emissions encompasses a comprehensive approach where the company seeks to counterbalance the carbon emissions produced by its products and operational activities. This includes emissions that are currently inevitable in the supply chain, production, and recycling phases of Audi vehicles.

To address these, Audi engages in global voluntary offsetting projects. Notably, emissions arising during the vehicle’s utilization stage — post-delivery to the customer — are excluded from this calculation.

The Imperative of Renewable Energy

Recognizing the indispensable role of renewable energy in realizing sustainability goals, Audi is keenly focused on the energy used to charge its electric fleet. The company offers green power solutions through Elli (Electric Life), a Volkswagen subsidiary, enabling customers to charge their vehicles at home using renewable energy.

Additionally, Audi’s collaboration with IONITY’s charging network further extends access to green power for on-the-go charging, featuring over 5,000 fast-charging points across Europe.

The Audi charging service further complements this infrastructure, offering access to over 400,000 charging points continent-wide. To bridge the gap in charging processes not yet powered by renewables, Audi is partnering with several entities to establish new wind and solar parks in Europe by 2025.

Audi's Commitment to Sustainable Mobility and Green EnergyThese projects are anticipated to generate an impressive five terawatt hours of green power, equivalent to the output of approximately 250 new wind turbines.

Expanding Green Power Supply

Audi’s initiative not only seeks to augment the volume of green power within European grids but also to make a tangible impact in offsetting the energy consumption of its electric fleet. By fostering the development of renewable energy sources, the company is actively contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

This commitment is evidenced by the life cycle analysis of the Audi Q4 40 e-tron, which shows a potential reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 45% when charged exclusively with green power, equivalent to a savings of about 14.3 tons of CO2.

Solar Energy Initiatives

A flagship project underscoring Audi’s commitment to renewable energy is establishing a solar park in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, in collaboration with RWE. Operational since early 2022, this facility boasts a capacity sufficient to power 50,000 households annually.

Spanning an area equivalent to 350 football fields and featuring nearly 420,000 solar panels, it stands as one of Germany’s largest independent solar parks. Further reinforcing Audi’s renewable energy portfolio are plans for the construction of six solar parks in Spain, with a combined capacity of 330 gigawatt-hours, alongside other projects aimed at addressing high-demand charging areas across Europe.

A Holistic Approach to Customer Needs

Audi’s holistic strategy extends beyond the reduction of emissions to encompass comprehensive customer support. This includes offering expert advice and facilitating the installation of home charging solutions, enhancing the convenience and accessibility of electric vehicle charging.

Audi's Commitment to Sustainable Mobility and Green EnergyBy investing in the expansion of its green power and charging infrastructure across Europe, Audi reaffirms its position as a premium supplier committed to advancing sustainable mobility solutions.

Conclusion: Sustainable Mobility for Audi

Audi’s ambitious journey towards carbon neutrality by 2050, with a significant focus on the adoption of green power for its e-tron fleet in Europe, exemplifies the brand’s proactive approach to environmental responsibility.

Through strategic partnerships, innovative renewable energy projects, and a customer-centric approach, Audi is paving the way for a sustainable future in the automotive industry, demonstrating that progress and environmental stewardship can go hand in hand.

Side Story: Advanced Features of the Audi Q4 e-tron

Audi has significantly enhanced the Q4 e-tron series, incorporating state-of-the-art battery technology and charging capabilities to ensure an optimized driving experience. Each model in the Q4 e-tron lineup is equipped with a sizable battery offering 77 kWh of net energy (82 kWh gross), facilitating improved charging efficiency.

The introduction of optimized cell chemistry has notably increased DC charging capabilities, allowing the vehicles to charge from 10 to 80 percent in approximately 28 minutes under optimal conditions. Specifically, quattro models can now reach a maximum DC charging power of 175 kW, while rear-wheel drive variants achieve up to 135 kW.

Audi's Commitment to Sustainable Mobility and Green EnergyAdditionally, to prolong battery life, a protective feature automatically caps the charge level at 80 percent.

The Q4 e-tron series is designed with intelligent trip and charge planning in mind, integrating the e-tron route planner that favors high-performance HPC stations for ultrafast charging. This system not only preconditions the battery en route to the charging station but also activates thermal conditioning when an HPC station is set as the destination, ensuring the battery charges as swiftly as possible.

For the first time, the Q4 e-tron models incorporate post-conditioning of the battery, where the vehicle’s thermal management system cools the battery after extensive driving or charging sessions, if it surpasses a certain temperature threshold, enhancing the battery’s longevity and performance.

The technological advancements extend to the Q4 e-tron’s propulsion system, with all models now featuring a permanently excited synchronous machine (PSM) on the rear axle, which has been completely redeveloped for increased efficiency and power.

This update significantly boosts the electric SUV’s range and power delivery, with the Audi Q4 Sportback 45 e-tron, for instance, achieving up to 562 kilometers (349 miles) in the WLTP cycle.

The rear-wheel drive models, such as the Audi Q4 45 e-tron and Audi Q4 Sportback 45 e-tron, produce 210 kW (286 PS) and can accelerate from zero to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 6.7 seconds, while the quattro variants and top-of-the-range models offer even more impressive performance and speed, emphasizing Audi’s commitment to combining sustainability with dynamic driving capabilities.




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