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Starting shot - the Audi e-tron GT goes into production!

Reading time 6 Min.

Starting shot - the Audi e-tron GT goes into production!

In the Böllinger Höfe, passion meets precision, innovation and sustainability: this is where series production of the fully electrically powered Audi e-tron GT will start these days. High performance and environmental awareness go hand in hand: Production is carried out with 100 percent green electricity and heat from regenerative sources with a carbon-neutral balance sheet. The resource-saving vehicle production also avoids paper and packaging, uses closed aluminum and plastic cycles and was planned for the first time for a new Audi model without any physical prototypes. With the Audi e-tron GT, the brand's most powerful electric vehicle goes into series production at the Neckarsulm site. The production in the Audi Böllinger Höfe is just as unique as the car itself: no vehicle at the four rings has been brought to series production so quickly.

The Audi e-tron GT

Starting shot - the Audi e-tron GT goes into production!

"As the electric and sporty spearhead of the Audi product portfolio, the e-tron GT fits perfectly with the Neckarsulm location and especially with the Böllinger Höfe sports car production facility“, Says plant manager Helmut Stettner. The fact that series production could start on schedule despite the corona pandemic is the result of bundled competencies and strong teamwork. Neckarsulm has already been the main location for plug-in hybrids and with the plug-in and mild hybrids of the A6, A7 and A8 has the highest density of electrified models at Audi. "With the Audi e-tron GT, we are producing the brand's first all-electric vehicle at a German location and are thus taking another big step towards the future," adds Stettner.

CO2-neutral production of the Audi e-tron GT

Starting shot - the Audi e-tron GT goes into production!

Not only is the Gran Turismo drive concept sustainable: all production in the Böllinger Höfe is carbon-neutral on the balance sheet. The entire Neckarsulm site has been using exclusively green electricity since the beginning of 2. A block-type thermal power station operated with biogas supplies the heat required for production in the Böllinger Höfe. Audi offsets emissions that cannot currently be avoided through renewable energy sources with so-called carbon credits from certified climate protection projects. "After the locations in Brussels and Györ, the Böllinger Höfe are now the first Audi production facility in Germany in which we produce on a carbon-neutral basis. This is an important milestone for the Neckarsulm location and a further step on our way to CO2-neutral production locations worldwide by 2“, Says Peter Kössler, Board Member for Production and Logistics, summarizing the central goal of the mission: Zero from Audi.

The Mission: Zero environmental program includes various measures in production and logistics that effectively and sustainably reduce the ecological footprint. In addition to decarbonisation, this involves innovative solutions for water use as well as resource efficiency and biodiversity.

Green logistics: climate-neutral to the factory

On the way to CO2-neutral production, Audi consistently looks at the entire value chain. Logistics is just as important as vehicle production itself: all rail traffic at the Neckarsulm location is climate-neutral. Various tractor units with CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) or electric drives are used in shunting operations between the trailer yard and the factory premises. On the initiative of Audi experts, an important freight forwarder also uses biomethane-powered trucks to transport its deliveries on the road. And two trucks powered by LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) are already in use for long-haul journeys to supply the site with components. Another is to follow by the end of the year. Each of them saves up to 20 percent CO2 and around 85 percent nitrogen oxide compared to conventional diesel trucks.

Closed cycles protect the environment

Starting shot - the Audi e-tron GT goes into production!

It is also possible to conserve important resources and recycle raw materials within the site. The best example: the "Aluminum Closed Loop". The name hides a closed recycling chain for the scrap of aluminum sheet that accumulates in the press shop at the Neckarsulm site - including when manufacturing the side wall frame for the Audi e-tron GT. With an extreme drawing depth of 35 centimeters between the highest and lowest point, this ensures the pronounced shoulders above the wheel arches and thus forms the extremely distinctive quattro blisters of the e-tron GT. To this end, the technical possibilities in the demanding processing of aluminum are exhausted. With the aluminum cycle, the site saves several thousand tons of CO2 annually by returning the aluminum sheet scraps sorted by type to the supplier, processing them there and then reusing them at Audi.

Starting shot - the Audi e-tron GT goes into production!

But the ecological idea doesn't stop with aluminum. When it comes to recycling plastic, the motto is: "Make new from old". In a current pilot project, plastic waste from the A6 and A7 assembly is sorted, shredded and then processed into special fibers. These so-called filaments are then used again in the 3D printers for production. The internal 3D printing team in the Böllinger Höfe already specializes in a wide variety of assembly aids that are precisely tailored to the needs of the employees. Over 100 of these aids are used in the production of the Audi e-tron GT. The aim of the recycling project is to create a perfect plastic closed loop.

Consistently conserving resources

It is not only important to save raw materials in closed circuits: The e-tron GT is the first Audi whose production was planned entirely without physical prototypes. With the help of self-developed software and virtual reality applications, all assembly processes were tested purely virtually - and are now being successfully applied in practice in series production. Some of the special containers for the transport of sensitive components could also be planned without prototypes thanks to new virtual methods. This saves metal, but also packaging material to protect the components. Keyword: waste and paper avoidance. Body construction and assembly are already largely paper-free today. New projects, such as a maintenance app that makes conventional, written logs superfluous, also save paper. The logistics department is currently testing digital labels, which should make an additional contribution: Conventional paper stickers are being replaced by electrical labels on the shelves with component bins. On the one hand, these are extremely energy-efficient and, on the other hand, can easily be reprogrammed in the event of changes - an important advantage over conventional disposable labels. In addition, an Audi project team works with suppliers to develop further solutions to consistently reduce packaging and thus waste.

Starting shot - the Audi e-tron GT goes into production!

Smart factory and precise craftsmanship

The perfect mix of smart factory and precise craftsmanship
High quality, high performance and attention to detail have always been hallmarks of the Böllinger Höfe. The Audi R2014 has been manufactured here since 8, and in 2019 the sports car manufacturer, which belongs to the Audi Neckarsulm site, was expanded, upgraded and converted to integrate the e-tron GT. The two most powerful and fastest production Audi of all time are built here. "The production of two technically very different vehicles on one assembly line is unique across the Group," says Production Manager Wolfgang Schanz. "With the integration of the fully electric four-door coupé, our small series production in the Audi Böllinger Höfe has been transformed into a highly flexible high-tech production facility that nevertheless retains its manufacturing character." to order

Starting shot - the Audi e-tron GT goes into production!

Photos: Audi

Starting shot - the Audi e-tron GT goes into production!

Of course, that wasn't the end of it. Our tuning magazine has tens of thousands more tuning reports in stock. Do you want to see them all? Just click HERE and look around. Or are you particularly interested in the manufacturer Audi and especially the e-tron GT? Then the following excerpt is sure to be just the thing.

Low Audi e-tron GT Concept on HRE P40SC rims

Starting shot - the Audi e-tron GT goes into production!

Audi RS e-tron GT prototype proves itself in first tests!

Starting shot - the Audi e-tron GT goes into production!

The new Audi e-tron GT as an electric Gran Turismo!

Starting shot - the Audi e-tron GT goes into production!

The Audi e-tron GT goes into production!

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About Thomas Wachsmuth

Thomas Wachsmuth - He has been an integral part of tuningblog.eu since 2013. His passion for cars is so intense that he invests every available penny in them. While he dreams of a BMW E31 850CSI and a Hennessey 6x6 Ford F-150, he currently drives a rather inconspicuous BMW 540i (G31/LCI). His collection of books, magazines and brochures on the subject of car tuning has now reached such proportions that he himself has become a walking reference work for the tuning scene.  More about Thomas

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