TODAY 22 MAY Exclusive Audi News

...radical new concept. It has the potential to become the trendsetter for a new form of mobility. The Audi urban concept is also without peer with respect to the technical concept. The outer skin of the show car is made of carbon fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP); the occupant cell is a mix of CFRP monocoque and an aluminium structure. This ultra-lightweight construction is the foundation for the technology study’s extremely low curb weight of just 480 kilograms. The sophisticated chassis underscores the distinctively sporty personality of the Audi urban concept. Wishbones made from a combination of aluminium and CFRP locate the free-standing, 21-inch wheels.

Manufactured using cladding technology, the wheels are very light and feature a variant of the blade design from the Audi e-tron models. The tyre sizes are as unusual as the car as a whole – 125/60 up front and 145/50 in the rear.

The Audi urban concept uses pushrod suspension technology borrowed from motorsports. As in a racecar, the struts mounted in the interior of the monocoque are nearly horizontal. Four disc brakes provide the stopping power. The turning circle measures less than nine metres – ideal for a city car. Thanks to the vehicle’s low weight, the rack-and-pinion steering does not require any power assistance. Crumple zones in the front and rear plus two airbags provide for a high degree of passive safety. An innovative assistance system helps the driver to avoid collisions with pedestrians.

The battery is mounted transversely behind the seats. The lithium-ion battery, which weighs around 90 kilograms, stores 7.1 kWh of usable energy. The study’s two electric motors together produce 15 kW of continuous power and 47 Nm of torque. The motors are mounted between the rear wheels, which they drive via a single-speed transmission.

The Audi urban concept accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 16.9seconds. It reaches 60 km/h in around six seconds. The show car steps off from traffic lights smartly thanks to the torque of the electric motors, which is fully available from standstill. Top speed is governed at 100 km/h.

The driving range in the European driving cycle is 73 km. The battery recharges completely in about 20 minutes with 400 volt three-phase current, and in approximately one hour with 230 volt household current.

Audi is hard at work on the future of charging technology as an alternative to the charging at a power outlet. Audi Wireless Charging (AWC) refers to contactless induction charging. The infrastructure side, comprising a coil and an inverter (AC/AC converter), is placed on the normal parking spot of the Audi urban concept and connected to the power grid. The 3.6 kW primary coil set into the plate generates a high-frequency alternating field.

The charging process begins automatically when the urban concept drives onto the plate. The alternating magnetic field of the infrastructure side induces an alternating current across the air gap in the secondary coil, which is integrated into the vehicle. This current is rectified and fed into the vehicle’s electrical system, where it charges the battery or powers consumers such as the heater. The alternating field is only generated if the vehicle is standing over the plate and thus poses no danger to people or animals.

Charging stops automatically when the battery is fully charged. The driver can interrupt charging at any time. The efficiency of AWC is comparable to that of other charging technologies. It is not affected by rain, snow or ice. The new technology makes charging electric vehicles easy and extremely convenient. A later version of the technology will be able to be integrated into the transportation infrastructure as a retrofit for parking garages or residential streets, for example.