Tag: #audi

Pearl & Dean Ireland and Stella Cinemas partner with Audi Ireland in media-first deal

Cinema advertising contractor Pearl & Dean Ireland has landed a pioneering media-first deal for Audi Ireland to run as an exclusive sponsorship partner with Stella Cinemas.

The partnership, set to begin on June 1st will run for one year and was brokered by Pearl & Dean Ireland and PHD Media, the media agency for Audi Ireland. This is a media-first deal for both brand and cinema chain, as it marks the first time Stella Cinemas will show advertising on its screens. Audi Ireland will have exclusivity in the advertising reel, meaning its advert will be the only one shown to audiences across Stella Cinemas at its sites in Rathmines and Ranelagh.

The on-screen advertising will feature Audi’s all-new Q8 e-tron vehicle, which launched into the Irish market earlier this year. The Audi Q8 e-tron provides an exciting insight into the future of electromobility at Audi where boundless creativity in design meets innovation and efficiency for a powerful, dynamic and luxurious driving experience.

Audi is passionate about creating meaningful, human-centric experiences and through emotional storytelling, driving a connection with its audiences. This latest Q8 e-tron advert does just that, allowing the audience to experience progress they can truly feel. As part of this commitment, Audi will also create a memorable journey for Stella cinemagoers from foyer to screen, with on-premise branding across both Stella Cinema sites, an Audi Mocktail served at the on-site bars and secret screenings and customer competitions planned throughout the year. Audi car owners will also be treated to free popcorn on Monday and Tuesdays throughout the year-long period.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of Stella Cinema in Rathmines, which opened its doors on the 29th of January 1923. Following an 18-month restoration project in 2015, today it is a luxurious modern cinema, that also reflects the glitz and glamour of the 1920s due to its original features. Ranked 16th in the world’s most beautiful cinemas and No.1 in the best cinemas in the UK and Ireland by Time Out in 2021, Stella has established itself as a world-class cinema experience and a go-to destination for movie lovers. The Stella Cinema Ranelagh opened in 2018 and has its own unique mid-century style, showcasing a mix of Hollywood blockbusters, cult classics, arthouse favourites and highlighting Irish film where possible.

Pearl & Dean is Ireland’s market leader for cinema advertising across ROI and Northern Ireland and has 100% market share in the Republic of Ireland.

Amy O’Shaughnessy, Box Office and Marketing Manager at Stella Cinema, said: “Stella Cinema is delighted to partner with Audi for an exclusive year-long partnership. We are thrilled to work with a brand that shares many of our values and believe Audi is a perfect fit for this sponsorship. Guest experience is at the heart of everything we do at Stella and having Audi as our exclusive on-screen advertising partner will allow us to maintain our customer-first approach to the cinema experience.”

Cassie Joyce, Agency & Client Director at Pearl & Dean Ireland, said: “Cinema advertising holds a unique power – the ability to weave a brand’s story into the anticipation and excitement that comes with a trip to the movies. We are delighted to collaborate with PHD to bring this electrifying media-first partnership together.  It’s been very exciting to connect two incredible brands; the ultimate premium cinema experience in Stella Cinemas and such an iconic automotive brand as Audi.”

Deirdre Schwer, Head of Marketing & Customer Experience at Audi Ireland, said: “We are delighted to be embarking on this landmark journey with Stella Cinemas. At Audi, our aim is not just to develop mobility solutions that inspire and excite, but to create experiences that truly resonate. These values we feel align with those of the iconic Stella Cinemas, presenting an opportunity to connect with our customers on a deeper level. We believe in progress you can feel, and securing this unique media-first partnership is yet another an important step for the brand into the future.”

Lauren Kavanagh, Innovation & Partnership Director at PHD Ireland, said:

We were delighted to negotiate this partnership on behalf of Audi as we identified great synergies between the Audi and Stella.  It is a hugely valuable media property in terms of solus advertising on one of the biggest screens in the country, and it is so exciting to see two of Ireland’s most premium brands, come together for an electrifying media first partnership’

Lighting technology pioneer Audi fields next-generation OLED technology. #AUDI #Motoring #Tech #OLED

In June 2020, the next generation of a lighting technology premiered in the Audi Q5: digital OLED technology. With organic light-emitting diodes (so-called OLEDs), Audi was a pioneer as far back as 2016. Now digitalisation is ringing in a new age. This technology promises to improve road safety and is the first to allow for personalisation of the tail light signature.

Dr. Werner Thomas, OLED technology project manager at Audi, explains: “Headlight technology has seen a rapid evolution at Audi in recent decades. In addition, we have been decisively driving the development of rear-lighting systems.”  In the latest milestone achievement, the brand is now the first car manufacturer to digitise the tail lights.

Why does Audi focus on OLED technology?

OLED light sources are panel radiators – unlike point light sources such as LEDs using semiconductor crystals. There are many benefits of OLEDs including their light being extremely homogeneous. It is infinitely dimmable and achieves very high contrast. It can be split into segments. These segments are individually controllable and can develop diverse levels of brightness, with minimal gaps between the segments. The lighting unit does not require any reflectors, optical fibers or similar optics. This makes OLED units very efficient, lightweight and flat, which considerably increases design freedom.

An OLED lighting element is just one millimetre thin, while conventional LED solutions require much greater installed depths of 20 to 30 millimetres. The energy requirement of an OLED is once again significantly lower than that of LED optics if the latter are to achieve similar homogeneity. Audi’s OLED technology made its production debut in the tail light of the Audi TT RS* in 2016. Up to now, Audi models using OLED lighting technology have had up to four individually controllable, complex lighting segments that could be used for an individual, defined lighting design.

What benefits do Audi’s new digital OLEDs offer?

The larger number of individually controllable segments can now be randomly activated, with continuous variability of brightness. In the Q5, three tiles of six units each, in other words 18 segments per lamp, are currently used. The high precision and great variability offer light designers a wealth of opportunities, using just one type of hardware. Q5 customers opting for digital OLED technology have a choice of three signatures in the tail lights when purchasing their car. In the “dynamic” Audi drive select mode, the lamps additionally switch to another signature. Moreover, animation effects such as coming-home/leaving-home lighting scenarios can be implemented, plus the dynamic flashing light has been integrated in the new lamp units as well.

How exactly do digital OLEDs differ from established OLED technology?

“Up to now, we have been using OLED segmentation with the Audi TT RS* and A8 for designing signature lighting. This has changed with the Q5,” says OLED technology project manager Dr. Werner Thomas. “Here the tail lights turn into a kind of display on the outer shell, which will provide us with ample opportunities and prospects in terms of design, personalisation, communication and safety going forward.” Thus, the year 2020 marks the threshold of a new age: a pure medium for signal functions is now additionally becoming a medium for displaying diverse types of content.

 

How do digital OLED lamps improve road safety?

In the new Q5, Audi has implemented a proximity detection feature for the versions using digital OLED tail lights. When another road user approaches a stationary Q5 from the rear within less than two metres, all the OLED segments light up. When the Q5 starts to move, it returns to the original light signature. This is just an initial example of the Q5’s car-to-x communication with its surroundings. Subject to legislative approval, predefined warning symbols are conceivable in the future as well. The development and approval of the first dynamic turn signals is a good example of Audi’s effective engagement in collaborating with approval authorities.

The developers present potential technologies and then adapt them as needed – which facilitates the homologation and approval of new ideas and concepts. Audi also shaped the developments around the digital OLEDs in advance in a way that made legislative approval possible for the Q5 in spite of differences in tail light design. Thus, the roads are becoming safer with lighting technology from Audi.

How will the development in this area continue?

Going forward, clearly more segments per tail light are conceivable, allowing for even greater personalisation of signature lighting. For instance, predefined symbols might be displayed to provide other road users with early warnings of hazards such as slippery roads or the tail ends of traffic jams.

Electric cars as part of the energy transition: Audi is researching bidirectional charging technology #Audi #Pv #V2H

Increasing network stability, lowering electricity costs, and contributing to climate protection is the vision that Audi and the Hager Group are pursuing. The incorporation of the electric car into the domestic grid is at the core of an innovative research project on bidirectional charging. This offers major advantages in combination with a photovoltaic system in particular. Excess PV electricity can be stored temporarily and output as needed.

Audi has committed to the objectives of the Paris Climate Agreement and is working on making its vehicle fleet CO2-neutral by 2050. In order to achieve this aim, the premium brand is pursuing a broad electric offensive that involves launching around 20 fully electric models by 2025. And not only that: The electric car is to evolve into part of an increasingly broad mobility offer and become an element of the sustainable energy transition.

In the first half of 2020, renewable energies contributed more than 50 percent to the German electricity mix for the first time. However, the increasing percentage is also accompanied by a basic dilemma of wind and solar power: The generation of electricity is not always constant. On sunny days and phases with strong winds, there is often a lack of capacity to store the generated energy that the grid cannot use.

As the number of registered electric cars increases, the number of mobile energy storage units also rises. This offers great potential, provided that the storage capacity can be used intelligently. This is why Audi and the Hager Group joined hands and developed a research and solution approach that creates financial incentives and offers greater security of supply: bidirectional charging. “Electric mobility is bringing the automotive industry and the energy sector closer together. The battery of an Audi e-tron could supply a single-family home with energy for around one week independently. Looking ahead, we want to make this potential accessible and make the electric car part of the energy transition as an energy storage device on four wheels,” says Martin Dehm, technical project manager for bidirectional charging at Audi.

The electric car as a flexible energy storage unit

The idea is as simple as it is genius: The high-voltage battery of the electric car is not only charged via the wall box at home but can also supply energy back to the house as a decentralised storage medium. If the customer has a photovoltaic system, the electric car serves as a temporary storage medium for the domestically generated eco-electricity. When the sun is no longer shining, the vehicle can supply the stored electricity back to the house. Bidirectional charging at home – also known as Vehicle to Home (V2H) – has great potential to reduce the home owner’s electricity costs and increase network stability.

As a further expansion stage in combination with a home storage unit, it is possible to achieve near complete energy independence and increased security of supply in the event of a blackout. “Using the battery of electric vehicles to contribute to climate protection while lowering electricity costs at the same time is a vision that we have found fascinating since the very beginning. And we have found an ideal partner in Audi,” explains Ulrich Reiner, project manager at Hager Group.

Near-series technology in use

What sounds simple in theory requires a high level of technical intelligence and coordinated interaction between different technical components in terms of infrastructure and in the vehicle in practice. An Audi e-tron with near-series charging technology was used in the research project. In the test grid, the fully electric Audi model operated with a DC wall box, which enables a charging capacity of up to 12 kW, and a flexibly extendable home storage unit with a capacity of 9 kWh. While it could provide additional flexibility in possible series production, it is not a necessary requirement for bidirectional charging. Thanks to the DC voltage level in the overall grid, the connection between the PV system and the vehicle does not require an inverter and is thus a particularly efficient solution.

Charging with PV electricity saves money 

Bidirectional charging focuses mainly on use cases where home owners use their own photovoltaic system to benefit from cost-optimised charging with their domestically generated electricity. The electric car stores the excess electricity from the PV system that is not used by appliances in the house. If the customer has variable rates, the electric car can supply the entire house in phases where electricity prices are high.

At night or during non-productive times of the rate, the car then uses inexpensive electricity to charge up to the desired target SOC (state of charge). Bidirectional charging also provides a security of supply that extends beyond pure cost optimisation: In the event of a blackout, the system can supply the house with energy via the high-performance HV battery or it can even operate a building without a grid connection independently in what is known as stand-alone operation.

Everyday usability in the focus of the developers

The developers made everyday usability a top priority. “Maintaining mobility is at the centre of our attention. Customers therefore don’t need to restrict themselves in order to make bidirectional charging suitable for everyday use,” Dehm describes the focus of the development. “The intelligent charging management manages the optimum use of the battery, thereby maximizing the cost-effectiveness of the overall system. The system is very easy for customers to use – all they have to do is plug in the car, and the rest happens automatically.”

The joint research project with the Hager Group has proven two essential things: Customers who have their own PV system can design their mobility to be optimised in terms of cost and CO2 consumption while taking some of the burden off the grid at the same time. As a positive side effect, customers who own an electric car from Audi can make an important contribution to the success of the energy transition. The intelligent use of the HV battery in the vehicle also opens up possibilities to use an existing resource that was previously used for mobility purposes alone in a sustainable way.

Audi is number one in terms of patents for electric drives. #Audi #Motoring #VorsprungdurchTechnik

Technical Development – internally referred to at Audi as “TE” – is the place where the brand’s heart beats. It is the place where “Vorsprung durch Technik” becomes a reality. The engineers develop innovations from the initial idea to market level. The new “Audi TechFocus” online newsletter provides detailed insights behind the scenes of TE. The topic of the premier issue: patents. Or: this is how we document “Vorsprung durch Technik.”

In 1970 – exactly 50 years ago – the “Technical Development” department moved into the first new facilities on the northern periphery of Ingolstadt. The complex has continuously been expanded ever since. By now, nearly 10,000 technicians and engineers are engaged in research and development just at the Ingolstadt location. Together with the nearly 2,000 TE employees in Neckarsulm and the developers in Győr, Beijing and San José Chiapa they form the innovation laboratory of Audi– and very successfully so. The number of patent applications filed is one of the benchmarks for the brand’s strong innovative prowess.

How many patent applications does Audi file per year?

In 2019, there were more than 1,200 patent applications filed, more than three on each day of the year. The subject matter and focus of patents change in line with shifts in social awareness. In earlier years, the main emphasis was put on ideas and inventions from the areas of chassis, conventional engine technology and transmission. At the moment, digitalisation and electric mobility are at the top of the list. In total, the company currently holds some 13,000 patent families worldwide, which equates to approximately  23,000 individual patents and patent applications. For the complex procedures involved, Audi employs specialised patent attorneys. “We protect the ideas and inventions of our engineers and thus our ‘Vorsprung durch Technik,’” says Jama Askaryar, the patent attorney responsible for electric and hybrid drives.

AUDI AG is the leader in patent applications filed for electric drives in Germany

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) recognises Audi as the winner in the area of alternative drives with the Automotive INNOVATIONS Award.

What are examples of patent applications?

Two Audi engineers have invented a new method of operating the electric machines of the Audi e-tron. Their function for predictive energisation of the e-machines via smart and innovative power electronics enhances driving dynamics. At the same time, it minimises electric power consumption by “anticipating” the desired driving commands and predictively initiating them.

Audi patents are also found in the field of fluid mechanics – the utilisation of the physical flow behaviour 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, 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 alterations from acceleration to deceleration mode. This is achieved by complex filtering of driving behaviour, which considers and optimises all parameters from the driver’s wish to the current torque distribution on the two axles and on all four wheels. Similar technology is now being adapted to the newer models of high-end kids electric cars.

Technology highlights from Audi’s history

The fast-running permanent quattro all-wheel drive has been and will remain a shining beacon of “Vorsprung durch Technik.” With the all-wheel drive technology unveiled in the original quattro at the 1980 Geneva Motor Show following a three-year development period, Audi revolutionised not only the automotive industry but motorsport, too.

A large number of other Audi innovations and patents have decisively shaped the automobile as well. For instance, the Audi Space Frame (short: ASF) unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show IAA in 1993, on which aluminum replaced the previously used steel as the material for the unibody in the Audi A8. To this day, this lightweight engineering know-how has seen consistent further development. The current Audi A8 in its structural components even combines a material mix of four different lightweight materials: aluminium, steel, magnesium and carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) – for a new level of multi-material design.