Audi CO2 program: sustainable aluminum for Audi e-tron GT wheels
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| source - AUDI press |
Alcoa is supplying aluminum for Audi’s pilot project from a self
developed, innovative smelting process that emits oxygen instead of
carbon dioxide. The joint venture ELYSIS is now further developing this
process.
The ELYSIS smelting technology, which is currently being ramped
up to a commerical scale with research in the USA and Canada, causes no
direct CO2 emissions when compared to the traditional
process used to make aluminum.
The joint venture company uses a
so-called inert anode that replaces the carbon anodes that are
traditionally used during electrolysis, which is the process used to
make primary aluminum. An inert anode is insoluble in the electrolyte
under the conditions obtained in electrolysis.
For the manufacture of the Audi wheels, Alcoa is supplying the RONAL
GROUP with a blend of metal from the ELYSIS process and Alcoa’s own
low-carbon aluminum. The 20-inch aluminum alloy wheels from RONAL GROUP
are used as an optional equipment variant for the model and produced
using flow-forming technology for weight optimization.
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| source - AUDI press |
The special
propeller-shaped design of the rim improves the aerodynamic properties
while driving. The mounted blades are just two to three millimeters
thick, largely cover the wheels and thus help to ensure high aerodynamic
efficiency.
As a gran turismo, the Audi e-tron GT was
designed specifically for sportiness and efficiency, and it attains a
drag coefficient of 0.24. This excellent value makes a significant
contribution to the electric range of up to 488 or 472 kilometers
(according to the the WLTP).
Also Read AUDI RS e-tron GT facts
The Audi e-tron GT
is the first Audi electric car to be built in the Böllinger Höfe at the
Neckarsulm site in Germany. The site has been supplied with renewable
energy since 2020. Since the start of series production of the e-tron GT,
a biogas-operated combined heat and power plant has been supplying the
heat required for production in the Böllinger Höfe.
Audi uses carbon
credits from certified climate protection projects to offset CO2 emissions that currently cannot be avoided using renewable sources of energy.
The RONAL GROUP produces the rims at its location in Landau, using
100-percent eco-electricity, and compensates the heat consumption with
offsets. Audi, Alcoa and RONAL GROUP are members of the Aluminium
Stewardship Initiative (ASI).
At the beginning of the year, AUDI AG was
the first car manufacturer to receive the “Chain of Custody” certificate
from the ASI, which certifies that the company works with aluminum in a
sustainable way, taking business-ethics-related, ecological, and social
aspects into account.
Source - AUDI press
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