As particulate pollution is a major problem in large urban centres, Audi is working on a solution. This solution would allow its future cars to purify the air around them while driving and charging. To achieve this, Audi has enlisted the help of one of its suppliers, Mann+Hummel. This company is a leader in the filtration industry. According to reports, the system is so far performing well in the tests. Audi launched a pilot project in 2020 to test the technology in the real world. This testing will run for about four years until 2024. According to Fabian Groh, project manager for Audi’s accessory system development department, such a system may even become mandatory for new cars at some point.
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Audi system purifies the air when driving or charging
The system is quite advanced and we’ve seen nothing like it in the industry. The Audi smart car will filter particles in the air in two different ways. There will be passive filtering which will take place while the car is driving. It will also have active filtering which happens when the car is in charge. These filters are at the front of the vehicle. Thus, air flows naturally into the air intake as it moves. This means that there is no need for the air to be sucked in by auxiliary means.
However, when the vehicle is stationary, this filtration system uses a fan that draws air in. The fan also forces it through the filter, much like an air purifier in a home. Audi points out that the vehicle only cleans the air when it’s charging. When the car is stationary, it does not purify the air because it will drain the battery. Audi says the system has passed 50,000 kilometres of durability tests and found that it does not affect the operation of the vehicle in any way. The company also claims that the system is so effective that it filters out even more particles than the vehicle itself, or in other words, other vehicles.