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How the Audi e-tron Energy Recuperation System Works

On September 17, Audi will fully reveal its first pure electric car, an SUV that for now still wears the e-tron badge the Germans have tried before.
AUdi -tron SUV uses a recuperation system to increase range 111 photos
Photo: Audi
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Officially, the car’s battery can hold enough electricity to make it capable of traveling 400 kilometers (248.5 miles) on a single charge. That’s according to tests conducted by the Germans under in the WLTP test cycle.

The range of the SUV is a bit lower than that of its two main competitors from Tesla and Jaguar. The Tesla Model X has a range of 474 km (295 miles), while the Jaguar I-Pace is rated at 480 km (298 miles).

Audi doesn’t seem to make a big deal out of this though. It the company’s view, the recuperation system used on the e-tron might make all the difference in the world, as it considers it to be “the most innovative among the competitors.”

And to prove it, Audi took the e-tron on the Pikes Peak, to show it off and allow for a bit of coasting.

WHAT THE RECUPERATION SYSTEM IS

2019 Audi e\-tron SUV at Pikes Peak
Photo: Audi
The recuperation system on the e-tron is made of both the two electric motors and the electrohydraulically integrated brake control system. Like all such systems, it is used to generate electricity from other systems and feed it back to the battery.

The recuperation system has three different recuperation modes, which can be selected by the driver depending on his needs. These modes are manual coasting recuperation using the shift paddles, automatic coasting recuperation via the predictive efficiency assist, and brake recuperation with transition between electric and hydraulic deceleration.

HOW IT WORKS

2019 Audi e\-tron SUV at Pikes Peak
Photo: Audi
The driver can select the modes of operation via the steering wheel paddles. The lowest setting makes the vehicle coast with no additional drag torque as soon as the accelerator pedal is released.

That changes when the highest stage is selected. When that happens, the e-tron slows down quite a bit, and the accelerator pedal provides both acceleration (when pressed) and braking (when released).

That means that the actual wheel brakes on the car are not usually used when coasting in this manner. They only kick in when the deceleration of the car exceeds 0.3 g. Audi says the response is instant thanks to the new electrohydraulic actuation system.

When automated emergency braking is performed, there are only 150 milliseconds between the initiation of the deceleration and the presence of maximum brake pressure between the pads and disks, says Audi. This near-instant response reduces the braking distance by up to 20 percent compared with a conventional brake system.

Because it too has potential to recuperate energy, the braking system is also used for this task. Depending on the situation, the car can decide to decelerate by using the electric motor, the wheel brake, or a combination of the two.

Because it alternates between the two, the brking system is supposed to  exploit its maximum recuperation potential in a targeted manner, by radar sensors, camera images, navigation data and Car-to-X information to decided when and for how long to apply the brakes. using the

When in full use, the e-tron prototype recuperates energy with up to 300 Nm of torque (221.3 lb-ft) and 220 kW of electric power – more than 70 percent of its operating energy input.

ADVANTAGES

Audi e\-tron SUV
Photo: Audi
As with any energy recuperation system, Audi’s too is meant to provide that extra range that might make the difference between reaching the destination and remaining stranded.

As per Audi’s claims, 30 percent of the total range of the 95 kWh battery can be generated with the help of the recuperation system.

At Pikes Peak, the SUV went downhill for 31 kilometers (19 miles), and fed “so much energy back to the battery that it can cover approximately the same distance again.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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