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Battery preconditioning optimizes charging performance to minimize charging times Predictive thermal management puts battery cells in the ideal temperature range while approaching a charging station The Audi e-tron route planner provides charging station information – including the number of available stations, payment options, and more Audi offers helpful functions in its electric model series that significantly shorten charging times and make it much easier to find charging stations. The key to optimal charging success There are several basic factors that promote fast charging: Sufficient preconditioning Battery temperature in ideal temperature range of +25°C to +45°C Low state of charge (SoC) at charging start Moderate interior climate control during charging Sufficient power output at charging station How battery temperature affects charging times The temperature of the high-voltage battery (HV battery) has a significant impact on the maximum power output, the charging time, and ultimately the battery’s own service life. In order to ensure optimal charging performance and fast charging stops in low or high outside temperatures, the HV battery must be sufficiently preconditioned. The ideal range for charging the HV battery is between 25 and 45 degrees Celsius. Temperatures above 50 degrees Celsius can damage the battery’s electronics and chemical components. At the same time, temperatures below 25 degrees Celsius increase the battery’s internal electrical resistance, which means that charging will take longer. For this reason, the Q6 e-tron, A6 e-tron, e-tron GT, and Q4 e-tron model series feature a predictive thermal management system designed to put the battery cells in the ideal temperature range while approaching a DC fast-charging (HPC) station. The process of achieving this ideal charging condition is known as preconditioning. It works by heating the battery in cold temperatures and cooling it in warm temperatures.

The Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron derivative has been produced here since summer 2021. For the Four Rings, production in Zwickau is also a return to its roots, which lie in Saxony: to expand his business, company founder August Horch moved to Zwickau, where he had "A. Horch Motorenwagenwerke AG" entered into the commercial register in 1904. This laid the foundation stone for automobile manufacturing in Saxony. Glass recycling in the Audi Q4 e-tron In 2022, Audi and its partner companies launched a pilot project for recycling old car windows. The project aims to recover valuable material from damaged car glass for series production. The car windshield is first shredded in a multi-stage process using an innovative recycling process. The partner companies then sort out all non-glass impurities, such as adhesive residue. The resulting glass granulate is then melted down and processed into new flat glass with the primary material. This is used to make new car windows. Since September 2023, the Four Rings has been using glass with a recycled content of up to 30 percent from car windows that can no longer be repaired for the Audi Q4 e-tron windscreen. Audi is thus successfully transferring the "GlassLoop" pilot project to series production. Audi is the first premium manufacturer to establish such a glass loop in the automotive industry together with partner companies. With this project, Audi and its partner companies are taking up the challenge of establishing a closed material loop for automotive glass1. The project is part of Audi's circular economy strategy. Audi has set itself the goal of increasingly using secondary materials, especially from post-consumer sources, to save resources, energy, and CO₂ - precisely where it is technically feasible, ecologically sensible, and economically viable. 1Audi saved more than 480,000 metric tons of CO₂ equivalents (CO2e) in its supply chain in 2021.

With the imported Audi A3 e-tron, the e-tron era dawns in China. Keynote by Audi at first CES Asia in Shanghai. 2016 Market launch of next generation of Audi A4 L. First Chinese brand summit in Shanghai. Start of production of first locally produced PHEV model, the Audi A6 L e-tron. Inauguration of first local Audi gear works in Tianjin. 2017 Market launch of Audi Q7 e-tron (import). Launch of Audi on demand+ in Beijing. 2018 Receipt of two test licenses for highly automated driving (Level 4) in Wuxi and Beijing. Launch of locally manufactured Audi Q2 L. Launch of Audi Q5 with extended wheelbase. World premiere of Audi Q8 in Shenzhen. Inauguration of Q-Factory in Changchun. 2019 World premiere of Audi AI:ME concept at Auto Shanghai. World premiere of China-specific generation of Audi connect. Launch of Audi e-tron (imported). Launch of locally manufactured new Audi Q3. Launch of locally manufactured new Audi A6 L. Launch of locally manufactured Audi Q2 L e-tron. 2020 Delivery of six millionth Audi in China. Start of local production of Audi e-tron. Annual sales exceed 700,000 vehicles for first time. Foundation of Audi FAW NEV Company Ltd. 2021 Launch of two-partner strategy with new partner SAIC and complementary model portfolio to the cooperation with FAW and existing model portfolio. Delivery of seven millionth Audi in China. Opening of first Audi Urban Showroom with partner SAIC. Start of production of Audi A7 L and Audi Q5 Roadjet e-tron at SAIC location in Anting (Shanghai). Start of production of Audi Q4 e-tron with FAW in Foshan. Demonstration of development testing of Level 4 automated driving on public roads using 5G technology in Wuxi. 2022 Groundbreaking ceremony for new production site in Changchun. With construction set to finish by the end of 2024, this will be the first automotive plant in China where only all-electric Audi models roll off the line. Relocation of Audi China development team to new development center, the Audi China Building.

Founded: 1988 Plant manager: Gao Qizheng, Juergen Russer Models: Audi A4 L, Audi A6 L, Audi Q5 L, Audi Q5 L Sportback, Audi e-tron Production (2023): 472,435 vehicles Audi production in Foshan FAW-Volkswagen Automotive Company Ltd. Founded: 2013 Plant manager: Wang Wei, Stefan Depka Models: Audi Q2 L, Audi Q2 L e-tron, Audi Q4 e-tron Production (2023): 40,624 vehicles Audi production in Tianjin FAW-Volkswagen Automotive Company Ltd. Founded: 2018 Plant manager: Dr. André Richter Models: Audi Q3, Audi Q3 Sportback Production (2023): 63,713 vehicles Audi production in Qingdao Location: FAW-Volkswagen Automotive Company Ltd. Founded: 2018 Plant manager: Liu Dong, Bruno Torres Models: Audi A3 Sportback, Audi A3 L Sedan Production (2023): 63,897 vehicles Audi production in Anting (Shanghai) SAIC Volkswagen Automotive Company Ltd. Founded: 2021 (start of production of Audi A7L: September 2021) Plant manager: Cheng Liang (Anting plant), Xu Zhiqin, Oliver Wollinsky (MEB plant) Models: Audi A7 L, Audi Q5 e-tron Production (2023): 19,281 (Anting plant), 5,506 (MEB plant) vehicles Audi production in Ningbo SAIC Volkswagen Automotive Company Ltd. Since: 2022 Plant manager: Chen Jianfeng, Frank Schemmel Models: Audi Q6 Roadjet Production (2023): 5,151 vehicles Audi electric vehicles production in Changchun Audi FAW NEV Company Ltd. Founded: 2021; construction started in 2022 Plant manager: Helmut Stettner Models: all-electric Audi models starting from Audi A6 e-tron and Audi Q6 e-tron series Planned annual production capacity: more than 150.000 vehicles

The Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron derivative has been produced here since summer 2021. For the Four Rings, production in Zwickau is also a return to its roots, which lie in Saxony: to expand his business, company founder August Horch moved to Zwickau, where he had "A. Horch Motorenwagenwerke AG" entered into the commercial register in 1904. This laid the foundation stone for automobile manufacturing in Saxony. Current model series at location: Audi Q4 e-tron Sebastian Schalk Production Sites Audi Group

Audi has already shown how this works in practice as part of the MaterialLoop program, for example, by using a proportion of high-quality recycled post-consumer secondary materials for the windshield of the Audi Q4 e-tron (GlassLoop) and the outer roof section of the Audi Q6 e-tron (SteelLoop). Audi is now going one step further with its recycling concept for post-consumer secondary materials. Together with its contractual partner TSR Resource – a specialist in the recycling of end-of-life vehicles – Audi is the first carmaker to ensure that recycled materials are reprocessed for further use in its supply chain. In this specific case, these are high-quality recycled raw materials, such as steel, from preproduction vehicles as well as other sources. Christian Blackert, Managing Director of TSR Resource: “We are delighted to be working with Audi to set another important milestone for the circular economy in the automotive industry. This project is an impressive example of what is possible thanks to industry partnerships. We are also reducing our dependence on fragile supply chains and making an important contribution to resilience in the face of the challenges posed by global markets.” Solution for a strategic, cost-efficient, and sustainable circular economy Closing material loops in industry usually requires several companies to work together. This has advantages for everyone involved: the recycling partner benefits from a predictable incoming stream of end-of-life vehicles and potential buyers of the secondary material. Potential suppliers gain access to high-quality recyclates suitable for the automotive industry at stable conditions – and can pass these on to Audi. In turn, Audi can stabilize its raw material supply chains at improved economic conditions. This makes it possible to increase the proportion of post-consumer secondary material for new vehicles – without compromising on quality or costs.

More sustainability in the supply chain The Audi Q4 e-tron shows in concrete terms what sustainability looks like throughout the life of an Audi vehicle. Producing powerful batteries takes a great deal of energy. This is why, in the production of electric vehicles, nearly half of carbon emissions can be chalked up to the supply chain. To offset this, Audi launched its “CO₂ program in the supply chain” back in 2018. Together with suppliers, the program identified measures for reducing carbon emissions. For example, certified green electricity is used for the production of the Audi Q4 e-tron’s cells – and suppliers commit to this by contract. Another example of how Audi is bringing more sustainability to the supply chain is secondary materials. Audi returns the aluminum scraps from the press plant to the supplier for processing and then gets them back in the form of newly processed aluminum coils. This means less primary aluminum is necessary, and less carbon is emitted. The Aluminum Closed Loop has avoided more than 780,000 tons of net carbon emissions3 since its introduction This means less primary aluminum is necessary, and less carbon is emitted. The Aluminum Closed Loop has avoided more than 780,000 tons of net carbon emissionssince its introduction in 2017. In the meantime, the plants in Neckarsulm, Ingolstadt, and, since 2021, Győr in Hungary, as well as the Volkswagen site in Bratislava, are implementing the "Aluminum Closed Loop". Green power in the utilization stage The greatest potential for fully leveraging the advantages of electric drive systems lies in the utilization stage. In addition to the fact that electric cars don’t emit carbon on the road, the electricity used for charging is a decisive factor here. In their garage at home, customers can charge the Q4 e-tron with green power, for example, using Volkswagen Naturstrom, a sustainable electricity solution provided by “Elli”, a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group.

Range up to 423 kilometers thanks to battery capacity of 63 kWh (gross); 150 kW (204 PS) enables impressive performance Manual battery preconditioning and predictive maintenance reminder make everyday life even easier Base price of 46,150 euros includes extensive standard equipment and improved connectivity via Audi application store and ChatGPT Audi is strengthening the Q4 e-tron series by adding a high-range entry-level variant. The fully electric premium model offers extensive standard equipment, a range of up to 412 kilometers (Sportback: 423 kilometers), and DC charging power of 165 kW. With manual battery preconditioning and predictive maintenance reminders, the Q4 40 e-tron ensures even more convenience and ease in everyday driving. The entry-level model with a 63 kWh battery can be ordered starting mid-February. More range means more peace of mind. That is why Audi is equipping the entry-level Q4 e-tron and Q4 Sportback e-tron with a larger battery that makes both everyday driving and leisure time even more relaxed. Starting in February, the compact SUV will be available with a 63 kWh (59 kWh net) battery. This enables an electric range of up to 412 kilometers (256.0 miles) (Sportback: 423 kilometers, 262.8 miles). Under ideal conditions, the battery’s state of charge (SoC) increases from 10 to 80 percent in just 24 minutes when charged at a fast-charging station. Up to 150 kilometers (93.2 miles, Sportback: 155 kilometers, 96.3 miles) can be recharged in ten minutes. The maximum DC charging power is 165 kW.