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Around 5,300 spot welds are required to join the parts that make up the body of an Audi A6. Up until now, production staff use ultrasound to manually monitor the quality of resistance spot welding (abbreviated WPS in German) processes on the basis of random analyses. However, experts from the fields of manufacturing, innovation management, digitalization planning, and IT are currently testing a much smarter way of determining the quality of spot welds at the Neckarsulm site. As part of the “WPS Analytics” pilot project, the team led by Mathias Mayer and Andreas Rieker is using artificial intelligence (AI) to detect quality anomalies automatically and in real time.

Michael Haeffner, Head of Delivery Management Digitalization for Production and Logistics at AUDI AG, is satisfied with the projects at the site: “As a pilot plant for digital production and logistics at the Volkswagen Group, our goal is to test and develop digital solutions for vehicle manufacturing right through to their use in series production. With the use of AI, we are testing an important key technology here that will make Audi and the location fit for the future.”

The underlying algorithm, its graphical user interface (dashboard), and an application for more in-depth quality analyses are currently being piloted in Audi A6/A7 car body manufacturing at the Neckarsulm site. The aim of the project is for the algorithm to evaluate close to 100 percent of the set welding points during body manufacturing in the future. The long-term vision is that in the future, the quality of welding processes can be controlled automatically and continuously optimized.

Mathias Mayer has already been working on the use of AI in Audi production for five years and views the use of “WPS Analytics” as an exciting opportunity: “The algorithm serves as a blueprint for further applications in connected manufacturing. In addition, it allows us to make advancements to existing digital solutions, such as predictive maintenance.”

Rollout of the solution planned across the Volkswagen Group

Audi is taking the lead in advancing this promising use case as part of the Volkswagen Group’s Industrial Cloud. This system brings together production data from the group’s factories around the world in a single, powerful digital platform. The primary objective is to increase efficiency and cut costs. Each connected site can download applications for its machines, tools, and systems directly from the Industrial Cloud (similar to an app store) and thereby manufacture its products even more efficiently. Once the “WPS Analytics” algorithm and dashboard have been successfully deployed in Neckarsulm, the plan is to roll them out to numerous factories across the group. The first synergies have already been achieved, as colleagues at the Volkswagen factory in Emden are also relying on algorithm-controlled optimization for resistance spot welding – with the lessons learned from both projects flowing into the Industrial Cloud across all sites.

Another application that uses an algorithm to make processes in Audi production more efficient is scheduled to be deployed in series production at the Ingolstadt press plant at the beginning of next year – in this case, artificial intelligence will be used to detect quality defects such as small cracks in the car body. This project also serves as a use case for the Automotive Initiative 2025 (AI25). Audi's ultimate goal is to make production and logistics more flexible and efficient through digitalization. Innovative technologies are already helping employees and relieving them of strenuous physical tasks and monotonous manual tasks.

E-mobility’s success is highly dependent on the charging infrastructure, which is why IONITY, Europe’s largest open high-power charging (HPC) network located in 24 countries, is investing 700 million euros in its fast-charging network for electric vehicles. The joint venture in which Audi has a stake will increase the number of high-performance 350 kW charging points from more than 1,500 at present to around 7,000 by 2025. In addition, they are no longer being built only along freeways, but also near major cities and along busy main roads. As a result, the number of charging locations is also increasing significantly – from just under 400 at present to more than 1,000.

In addition, IONITY plans to expand many of the existing locations – depending on their utilization levels. New sites will be designed with six to twelve charging points right from the beginning. This significantly reduces charging and waiting times for users. In addition, the company plans to acquire more of its own land in order to build and operate service stations. Through covered charging stations or complete charging facilities including dining options and stores, IONITY wants to significantly enhance the customer experience.

Massive expansion by IONITY makes e-mobility even more attractive

“We are transitioning our product range to electric cars in all of our core segments. This is a major change, but I see it as an even greater opportunity,” said Markus Duesmann, chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG. The success of e-mobility heavily depends on an extensive charging infrastructure, he added.

“More than ever before, it isn’t just the product that matters, but the entire ecosystem. With its focus on advancing and improving the charging network offering, IONITY’s massive expansion will play a key role in making electric vehicles more attractive.” Audi is planning a broad-based EV rollout with more than 20 all-electric models by 2025. Starting in 2026, the brand will only launch new, innovative all-electric models.

IONITY is the cornerstone of the e-tron Charging Service

Audi is a founding member of IONITY and has been a joint venture partner from the very beginning. IONITY’s network of fast-charging stations located throughout Europe is a cornerstone of the e-tron Charging Service, Audi’s own charging service. Using just one charging card, this service currently offers access to more than 280,000 charging points in 26 European countries. In this context, users benefit from preferential terms when using the IONITY network – charging costs only 31 cents per kilowatt-hour, which is roughly equivalent to the cost of charging at home in Germany.

Plug & Charge: Audi makes charging possible without an RFID card or app

Starting in December 2021, Audi will be offering a particularly premium form of charging exclusively on the IONITY network known as “Plug & Charge” (PnC). This refers to the ability to easily and securely charge an EV without an RFID (radio frequency identification) card or even an app. The authentication process takes place automatically at compatible charging stations via encrypted communication as soon as the charging cable is connected to the vehicle. Then the charging process also starts. And finally, billing is handled automatically on the basis of a contract on file. To use this system, drivers must have a PnC-capable Audi e-tron model (a new model with production date after calendar week 48/2021) and an active e-tron Charging Service contract. Users only need to activate the PnC feature in the myAudi app and in the MMI of their Audi e-tron.

IONITY network charges exclusively using green power

IONITY is a joint venture between the automobile manufacturers the BMW Group, the Ford Motor Company, the Hyundai Motor Group, Mercedes Benz AG, and the Volkswagen Group with its brands Audi and Porsche. For the first time, IONITY shareholders include a company from outside the automotive sector, the financial investor BlackRock*. BlackRock, headquartered in New York, operates globally and, through its Global Renewable Power platform, invests specifically in sustainable industries and companies with the highest possible growth potential. IONITY builds and operates an HPC network along European freeways with state-of-the-art technology and a charging capacity of up to 350 kW. This allows EV drivers to benefit from maximum charging speeds during their stopovers. As a sign of the company’s commitment to sustainability, customers charge their vehicles at all IONITY charging stations using completely renewable energy, making emission-free and carbon-neutral driving possible.

Article source: www.audi-mediacenter.com

“After electromobility, the next, clearly more radical change is the transition to more intelligent and, ultimately, autonomous vehicles,” says Markus Duesmann, CEO of AUDI AG. “For us, autonomous driving is a key technology that can make traffic safer and mobility more comfortable and inclusive.” With the Volkswagen Group’s software company CARIAD, Audi is driving the introduction of that technology forward in the second half of this decade at full speed.

Both the technological maturity of the driving systems and the social dimension are very important for autonomous driving to gain broad acceptance: apart from the general legal and political conditions, people’s attitudes are critical for new technologies like autonomous driving to catch on. Nineteen scientific, policy, and economic experts discussed central issues concerning the future of autonomous driving; the results have now been published by the &Audi Initiative in the roughly 70-page “SocAIty” study.

An image of the future in 2030: The mobility landscape is becoming more diverse, compartmentalized, and inclusive

The study addresses three focal points: the chapter “Law and progress” deals with, among other things, current questions about liability, while “Relationships of trust between human and machine” looks at the ethical dimension of autonomous driving, and “Networked security” addresses the relevant data protection and security aspects.

“All in all, the result is an image of a mobility landscape that will look different in 2030 from what it looks like today, but will manage without science fiction,” says Saskia Lexen, Project Manager for the &Audi Initiative at AUDI AG. “So Audi wants to establish appropriate expectations for the possibilities and limits of technology in society and to create trust.”

One central insight of the study is that the mobility landscape in 2030 will be more diverse and compartmentalized and will produce more mobility solutions that are suited to their goals. Additionally, diversity of forms of micromobility will increase, particularly in cities. Demand will also increasingly be determined by the person’s location. Similar needs increasingly prevail in large cities: places like New York, London, and Shanghai have comparable basic conditions and needs with respect to mobility, flexibility, and customer expectations. Most of the experts see the US as a driving force behind the technology of autonomous driving. Not all new technologies will necessarily be primarily developed there, but they will be put on the road with the help of capital and expertise. „The US often takes on the role of incubator; it breaks new ground early on. In China, on the other hand, new technology is often quickly rolled out and scaled across the board”, says Uta Karen Klawitter, Head of General Counsel Legal Services at AUDI AG.

China is seen as a trailblazer in scaling and widespread technology penetration. The reasons for this include a determined expansion of infrastructure and a high degree of social appreciation for new technologies. In the experts’ opinion, Germany and Europe will primarily be innovation sites for vehicle technologies and high-volume production, in addition to playing an important role as sales markets in ten years. As a result, European consumer rights and data protection regulations will impact global conditions and product standards for the entire industry.

Acceptance largely depends on personal experience

In 2030, mobility will be heavily characterized by a new kind of mixed traffic, in which autonomous vehicles will encounter vehicles driven by people. Road users will gradually adapt and will have to learn new rules. The prognosis: for this significant cultural shift, people will need time to establish a good trusting relationship with autonomous driving. „Only the increase we expect to see in comfort, safety and availability will sufficiently justify acceptance and confidence in the new technology”, says expert Hiltrud Werner, Member of the Board of Management responsible for Integrity and Legal Affairs, Volkswagen AG.

Apart from the potential for more efficient and therefore also more ecologically sustainable traffic, networked and data-driven mobility concepts can also have an enormous social impact. That includes new services that are oriented to human needs and, ideally, lead to a new form of more inclusive and more social mobility. „It is also about better access to mobility. Because mobility is the key in getting access to jobs, medical care, to clean food and so forth”, adds expert Huei Peng, Professor of Mechanical Engineering & Director of Mcity, University of Michigan.

Accident and risk avoidance, not artificial thought experiments

„Who do we prioritize avoiding? If this is how we keep setting the agenda, we’re not going to get very far”, points out Christoph Lütge, Director of the Institute for Ethics in Artificial Intelligence at the Technical University of Munich. Contending with dilemmas in accident situations is inevitable for understanding the ethical aspects of autonomous driving. However, the discussion is often emotional and, from the perspective of some experts, ideologized based on safety-related and ethical considerations.

For that reason, the experts agree that the next important step consists of clearly defining ethical foundations based on realistic situations and taking up actual challenges and questions that companies and legislators have to contend with.

About the &Audi Initiative

Audi created the &Audi Initiative in 2015. The auto manufacturer wants to use the Initiative to stimulate interdisciplinary exchange about new technologies like artificial intelligence and autonomous driving. Additionally, it is intended to support positive acceptance of new technologies over the long term and establish appropriate expectations regarding the possibilities and limits in society. With the current “SocAIty” study, the &Audi Initiative’s objective was to contribute to public debate around autonomous driving and its responsible application in the mobility of the future.

Today’s cars must fit seamlessly into the user's day-to-day life and be able to meet as many of their needs as possible at all times. in this context, a versatile and comfortable interior is becoming increasingly important. Manufacturers will do well to analyze the increasingly heterogeneous target groups in the luxury segment in detail. When it comes to the design of the interior, aspects such as comfort, control logic, infotainment, or the quality and sustainability of the materials used stand at the top of the list.

Comfort plus safety: relaxation seat and digital matrix LED headlights

“The interior must appeal to all of the senses and be comfortable. In addition, customers in the luxury segment expect us to offer the latest technologies, especially in the areas of safety, lighting and infotainment,” says Peter Dlab, technical project manager for the Audi A8. One example is the relaxation seat in the back of the A8 L888Audi A8 L: Combined fuel consumption in l/100 km: 10.8–8.2 (21.8–28.7 US mpg); Combined CO2 emissions in g/km: 248–187 (399.1–300.9 g/mi) ))), which offers numerous adjustment options and a footrest on the back of the front passenger seat. Passengers can use it to have the bottoms of their feet warmed and massaged to various degrees. The Air Quality Package improves the quality of the air inside the vehicle. The combination filter in the four-zone automatic climate control system captures most of the gases and particulate matter. It also contributes to rendering allergens and microorganisms harmless. These are therefore features that invite passengers to both work and relax.

In the updated Audi A8, digital Matrix LED headlights use DMD technology – DMD stands for digital micromirror device. Each headlight has approximately 1.3 million micromirrors that break down the light of a particularly powerful LED into tiny pixels. This allows it to be controlled with a high level of precision and resolution. The lane and orientation lighting for highways emits a carpet of light that illuminates the driver’s own lane particularly brightly. Above all, this orientation light helps drivers intuitively stay in their lane at road construction sites. The enhanced A8 also comes standard with digital OLED taillights. OLED stands for organic light-emitting diode.

In conjunction with the assistance systems, the combination taillights feature proximity detection – if other road users approach the stationary A8 from behind to within two meters, all of the OLED segments are activated automatically.

Understanding the market

One example of how Audi responds to the specifics of a market is the Audi A8 L Horch, the new flagship model for China, the most important sales market for the brand with the four rings. The derivative with its prestige and status-oriented features embodies Audi’s understanding of a progressive luxury sedan with maximum customer focus. In order to gain a precise understanding of the market’s needs and to be able to meet them, Audi conducts intensive market research worldwide. In China, for example, the characteristics of the vehicle as a chauffeured limousine are foregrounded. The Audi Innovation Research (AIR) team in Beijing is responsible for market activities there. Chinese customers love technical gadgets and sophisticated design solutions even more than customers in other parts of the world. The demand for customizable digital tools and services there is extremely high. Speed is vital for finding solutions.

AIR and AIC

“We’re far more than a traditional market research department,” explains Yu Zhao, head of AIR China. "We conduct a great deal of research, partly because Chinese customers are very different from those in Europe and the US.” One of the most important tools in this context is the Audi Innovators Circle (AIC). The community of more than 800 consumers from Audi’s target demographic is digitally connected via a chat app. Feedback from these trend scouts stands out for the extreme reliability and quality of their statements. Audi receives around 300 to 400 responses to quantitative surveys within two weeks, and around 20 to 30 in-depth statements in the same period from qualitative studies. The surveys center on user experiences with the car or specific vehicle features, but also on the target demographic’s lifestyle and their perception of the Audi brand.

Being chauffeured and driving yourself

Sporty agility and driving dynamics have characterized the Audi A8 from the outset. As such, the reworked flagship equally caters to those that enjoy driving themselves and, above all with the A8 L Horch, owners that prefer to be driven by a chauffeur. “Cars in the luxury class are not traditional chauffeur-driven sedans for us across all markets. Accordingly, the vehicle is configured in a more dynamic way,” says Dlab. All-wheel steering, for example, makes the Audi A8 suitable for urban environments. With a combination of innovative suspension components, it can cover the entire range – from the velvety roll of a luxury sedan to the dynamic, tight handling of a sports car. This is where the A8’s predictive active suspension comes into play. The high-tech system, which works in conjunction with the air suspension, can unload each wheel or push it down separately via electromechanical actuators. The active suspension is capable of actively controlling the body in any driving situation, thereby greatly reducing body roll and dive during acceleration and braking.

The A8 remains the flagship

“One thing is absolutely clear: the A8 is the vehicle that drives innovation at Audi,” says Oliver Hoffmann, Member of the Board of Management for Technical Development. “We do everything we can to always introduce the newest technology in the A8 first and then in other series and segments.

The approach that we bring to producing this car radiates into the rest of our portfolio. That’s because customers’ needs aren’t only diverse and demanding in the luxury class. We have to set ourselves apart from the competition in the compact class as well. “

 Article source: www.audi-mediacenter.com