With foresight
The electric mobility is ready for long-distance
The range of an electric vehicle plays an important role regarding the success of electric mobility. Thanks to continuous further development, the alternative drive form has arrived on long-distance routes. This is demonstrated by the Audi e-tron prototype, among others, thus providing a concrete view of the purely electrically driven future at Audi: the series version of the Audi e-tron prototype will in future be able to charge with up to 150 kilowatts of power at fast-charging stations. The vehicle is therefore ready for use again in just under 30 minutes for another upcoming long-distance stretch. The aim is to further minimise these charging times in the future.
Different factors affect the range
The maximum range that an electric vehicle can achieve on this kind of long-distance stretch depends on various factors. A key indicator is, among other things, the dynamic of the individual driving style. In order to optimally support the driver, he can choose various preconfigured driving modes via the driving dynamics system Audi Drive Select.
In the case of purely electrically driven series models, these will in future be supplemented by a corresponding variant that will support the driver in terms of maximising the range if desired. Furthermore, additional features will ensure more comfort: this not only affects the display system, which should provide the driver with appropriate warnings in the case of a low battery; the navigation, for example, will also calculate when the next charging point should be accessed and where it is located during route planning.
Energy recovery thanks to recuperation
The purely electric drive also offers a way to recover energy. While in the majority of conventional vehicles, braking energy is almost completely converted into heat via the brakes and thus wasted, in electric vehicles the direction of energy conversion can be reversed. When accelerating, the e-machine is supplied with electrical energy to create mechanical energy. When decelerating, on the other hand, it is driven mechanically by the kinetic energy of the vehicle and thus recovers electrical energy, which is fed into the vehicle’s energy store and can then be reused for the drive – so-called recuperation. The possibility of recovering energy is not only available as soon as your foot is off the accelerator, but also during the braking process. The first purely electrically driven Audi also decelerates recuperatively in most cases when the brake pedal is depressed – with the brake-by-wire system, the brake pads are not installed on the brake disc and braking is conducted purely electrically.
