German carmaker Audi has completed the three year e-performance research project to develop a technology platform for electric mobility.
Commenced in October 2009, the project involved Audi's collaboration with Robert Bosch and several institutes of Aachen Technical University and was aimed at creating scalable systems architecture for electric vehicles (EVs).
According to Audi, the new platform has been developed to be suitable for plug-in hybrids as well as for several types of electric-powered automobiles ranging from a sports car to a sedan to a city car.
e-performance research project manager Christian Allmann said the team united engineering art, creativity and a portion of lateral thinking.
"From the very beginning, our initiative was the largest interdisciplinary research project in Germany for electric cars," Allmann said.
As part of the project, the team had developed an electric-powered 'e-Sport' model developed on the new modular system platform and was named as the F12.
The research car is powered by three different electric motors that are controlled separately and generate a total output of 204hp and 550Nm of torque.
The heat pump equipped within the F12 model will be used for the thermal management of the drive system and the interior and controls the temperature of the batteries based on the situation.
The driver of F12 can control basic drive functions that include Park, Reverse, Neutral and Drive tharufg the use of operating buttons on the centre tunnel, while all other operations can be managed via a tablet computer.
The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, which provided €23m in funds to support the project, desires to continue its support for the development of new automobile concepts.
