In order to make the planet’s air more pleasant, Audi is currently developing an on-board filtration system for its electric cars.
One of the main missions of the electric car is to limit its ecological footprint and improve air quality on the surface of the globe. A passive mission, therefore, but which does not make it possible to green the landscape in its wake as Renault advertisers imagined with the Zoé. However, Audi imagines a more active solution.
In partnership with the air filtration specialist Mann+Hummel, the German brand is developing a system that would allow its electric cars to purify the surrounding air by sucking up all the microparticles in suspension. This system could work while driving, of course, but also when stationary when the vehicle is loaded. On paper, the process is simple: a filter installed between the bumper and the radiator collects all the particles from the tires, the brakes, but also from road abrasion. It thus acts like a vacuum cleaner that swallows all the harmful particles around the car.
Audi reckons its find will be mandatory one day
It has now been two years since Audi launched its test program with e-Tron cars equipped with this system, and will continue its development until 2024. For the moment, the brand indicates that the device has not no impact on vehicle operation or energy consumption. Also, tests carried out in the city of Stuttgart indicated that a car would be able to filter its own emitted particles.
The filters used are developed by the specialist and are made up of 15% recycled materials, while the whole system pushes the rate to 60%. The German brand obviously believes in its technology, and even goes so far as to estimate that it will be mandatory on all cars in the future as it proves to be effective.
And to anticipate the remarks, the manufacturer indicates that the filter will have to be replaced like any filtration system according to the defined maintenance plans. It remains to know the price of such an operation if it sees the light of day.
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