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Agreement has been reached on a
co-operation which sees
Volkswagen joining forces with
Sanyo, one of the world’s
leading developers of
rechargeable batteries, to work
on new and extremely efficient
high-performance storage systems
based on lithium-ion technology.
“Our focus in future,” says Prof
Martin Winterkorn, CEO of the
Volkswagen Group, “will be
directed more strongly at making
electrically powered automobiles
alongside ones driven by more
efficient combustion engines.
Drivetrain electrification is
the way forward if we wish to
secure mobility in tomorrow’s
world. This will involve energy
recovery. The whole idea will be
to no avail, however, as long as
we do not have powerful energy
storage systems at our disposal
and as long as vehicle
operations are not in tune with
customer demands. This
cooperation is an important step
for us,” Winterkorn adds.
Emissions-free travel in an
all-electric operating modus is
already possible today, though
only at limited speeds and over
short distances. That makes it
all the more important to
develop new accumulators with
the capacity, size, weight and
cost attributes which will
enable them to be used more
efficiently in tomorrow’s
automobiles. Lithium-ion
technology, already very
successfully used in
communications electronics and
portable computers, has the
potential to satisfy even the
particularly exacting demands
placed on electro-traction
systems in motor vehicles.
Back in March, at the Geneva
Motor Show, Volkswagen showcased
its Golf TDI Hybrid design
study, which demonstrated just
how much potential for energy
reduction there is when you
combine high-tech-diesel,
electric-drive and 7-speed-DSG
technology. Conceived as a
powerful full-hybrid vehicle,
the Golf TDI Hybrid can be
operated using combustion-engine
power only or using a
combination of combustion and
electric drive or using E-drive
– i.e. the powerful and
energy-efficient combination of
TDI technology and an electric
motor. The A1 project quattro
presented by Audi at the most
recent Tokyo Motor Show features
a powertrain already designed to
cover a distance of 100 km using
this innovative storage method.
The Group hopes to be able to
employ lithium-ion technology in
its first vehicles by 2010.
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