Audi and the electric drives

Audi and the electric drives. You say Audi (member of VW Group) and it’s no wonder you associate the four ring brand with electric propulsion research. What perhaps not everyone knows is that Audi is number one in terms of patents for electric drives. We forward you part of the press release received from Ingolstadt.

Audi and the electric drives. In Germany technology is a familiar word

Whereas many competitors purchase electric drive technology, Audi develops it in-house in many areas. As the most innovative premium brand, Audi is the leader in patent applications filed for electric powertrains in Germany. The statistics prove this, too: According to an analysis of the German Patent and Trade Mark Office and the European Patent Office (EPO), in 2019, a total of 660 patents were filed with effectiveness just in Germany. These applications refer only to vehicles with electric powertrains. Compared to 2017, this corresponds to an increase of 42 percent. With 57 patent applications filed for the plug-in hybrids and the models of the all-electric Audi e-tron, Audi occupied the top spot. «This is ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’ and shows the great innovative spirit of our developers,» says Roman Straßer, Head of Development, Power Electronics and Charging Systems. But not just the Patent Office documents Audi’s top ranking in the area of ideas and inventions. In 2020, the renowned Center of Automotive Management (CAM) recognizes Audi as the winner in the area of alternative drives with the Automotive INNOVATIONS Award.

Audi e-tron

Two Audi engineers have invented a new method of operating the electric machines of the Audi e-tron. Their function for predictive energization of the e-machines via smart and innovative power electronics enhances driving dynamics. At the same time, it minimizes electric power consumption by “anticipating” the desired driving commands and predictively initiating them. Audi patents are also found in the field of fluid mechanics, in other words, the utilization of the physical flow behavior of fluids. For instance, to efficiently cool the rotor in an electric motor. Traditionally, the heat is dissipated from the outside. Audi does this additionally via a coolant fluid and smart cooling ducts directly in the rotor core – in other words, from the inside. The complex technological feat of assembling the individual rotor sheets results in particularly effective rotor cooling. Another example of e-mobility ingenuity at Audi is a patent on a solution enabling the absorption of hectic accelerator pedal actuations, which makes it possible to avoid load alternations from acceleration to deceleration mode. This is achieved by complex filtering of driving behavior, which considers and optimizes all parameters from the driver’s wish to the current torque distribution on the two axles and on all four wheels.