The firm, which has its headquarters in Ingolstadt, is now collaborating with its suppliers Mann and Hummel on the development of a particulate filter that has the potential to clean the air in the area in the near future. If it turns out to be effective, the filter will be installed in the zero-emissions cars produced by the German firm.
It’s common knowledge that automobiles produce fine dust particles, whether it is from the brakes or the tires. Audi, in collaboration with its component suppliers Mann and Hummel, is looking into different ways to lessen the environmental damage caused by these particles.
The German business with headquarters in Ingolstadt is planning to conduct research and development on a specialized air filter for zero-emission vehicles between the years 2020 and 2024. In order to evaluate its performance, this component has already been installed in a few E-Tron test vehicles.
The filter is pre-mounted in front of the radiator and requires only minor adjustments in order to function properly. It is able to collect these particles not only when the vehicle is in motion but also when it is not, such as when it is charging. In this final scenario, the fan that is already installed on the vehicle directs the airflow that is present around it through the filter, which then collects the fine dust particles that are there.
The Audi filter does not have a detrimental effect on the performance of the test vehicles even after about 50,000 kilometers of driving, as was demonstrated during the initial round of testing.
In addition to this, they presented evidence that E-Tron specimens fitted with the filter were able to successfully filter out their own particles.
In the year 2024, Audi is going to publish the findings of this pilot study, and if it turns out to be successful, the filter may be put into some of the brand’s future vehicles that produce no emissions at all.