Audi Participates in Munich Electric Mobility Study

The Audi A1 e-tron will participate in a pilot program to test the vehicles in Munich, Germany. The pilot program will include 20 of the Audi A1 electric cars, and the program is established through a partnership with Audi, Technical University of Munich, Munich City Utilities and E.ON, a German energy company.

As part of the Electric Mobility in Munich Pilot Program, Audi will use 20 of its Audi A1 e-tron compact vehicles in the study. Credit: Audi America

E.ON and Munich City Utilities will oversee the infrastructure elements of the pilot program and have installed demand-oriented charging infrastructure with the power sources generated through renewable energy sources. This program is part of Electric Mobility in Munich as a pilot region project, sponsored by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development.

This project will address a number of issues, ranging from the power grid itself to data transfer between drivers, vehicles and electric fueling stations.

“Audi works relentlessly on comprehensive approaches, which maximize benefits to customers,” emphasized Franciscus van Meel, head of Audi’s electric mobility strategy. “In this era of electric mobility, we will offer our customers a wide range of services, which go beyond driving itself. For example, the networking of vehicles with their surroundings and with infrastructure as well as new concepts of mobility will be important.

“We want to use this fleet trial to learn more about our customers’ usage of electric cars, and their expectations in this regard,” he added. “We are planning additional fleet endeavors in strategically important markets.”

The Audi A1 e-tron, an electric vehicle with a range extender can reach a top speed of 80 miles per hour. When battery runs out of the energy, it is equipped with a compact internal combustion engine that recharges the battery to increase the vehicle’s operating range more than 155 miles. The compact EV releases no emissions for the first 31 miles of the trip and was designed specifically for everyday urban use.

Data from the pilot program will be used for future vehicle and infrastructure planning in the region.

“For researchers, it is no longer a question of whether electric mobility will catch on but rather when. Electric mobility constitutes a paradigm shift for companies and society alike. This fleet trial allows us to learn more about people’s mobility habits under a new set of circumstances,” said Professor Markus Lienkamp at TU Munich’s Department of Automotive Engineering. “Insights from this project can then serve as the basis for worthy approaches to sustainable individual mobility.”