Audi Tech Goodies for 2009

German manufacturer Audi has prepared some new technologies to be implemented into their range this year, most of them aimed to make Audi cars more fuel efficient and less pollutant than before. These technologies include a start-stop system, energy recovery systems and a modular efficiency platform.

The start-stop system is no longer a new addition to the automotive industry. It is a feature which shuts down the engine once the car has come to a stop, the gear lever stands at idle and the driver releases the clutch pedal. The car starts back up when the clutch is pressed.

Combined with Audi's battery technology, the system lowers fuel consumption by about 0.2 liters per 100 km and CO2 emissions by around 5 g/km. It will be used for the first time in the Audi A3 1.4 TFSI with manual transmission and in the Audi A4 and A5 with two-liter engines and manual gearshift, but it is also planned for other models this year.

The energy recovering system, known as KERS, uses deceleration phases to convert kinetic energy into electrical energy. When the car accelerates again, the battery directs the temporarily stored energy back into the vehicle, to relieve the alternator and thereby save fuel. It is already standard on the Audi A3 1.4 TFSI with manual transmission, the Audi A4, A5 Coupé and A5 Cabriolet with two-liter engine and manual transmission, the A6 and the Audi Q5 and Q7.

The third addition to the tech array, the modular efficiency platform, is actually the on-board computer with the efficiency program. It helps the driver by providing consumption-related data.

The technologies are part of Audi's plans to lower the fuel consumption of its model range by 20 percent compared with the 2007 level. Additional technologies are expected by that time.