The week is coming to an end and so is our series of posts about Audi’s trailblazing logistics program. In case you missed the first two parts you can read them here: Audi’s Green Logistics Program Part 1 and Audi’s Green Logistics Program Part 2.

Intelligent – the energy supply

AUDI AG is also focused on resource efficiency when it comes to the supply of energy. Beginning in spring 2011, the use of waste heat from Ingolstadt’s waste utilization plant and from the Petroplus refinery will double from 60,000 to 120,000 megawatt hours per year. This represents potential CO2 savings of around 26,000 tons. A further expansion which will use 200,000 megawatt hours of waste heat is planned. The plant in Neckarsulm is also supplied with district heat.

In Ingolstadt, Audi has for years been producing roughly 100,000 megawatt hours of heat in its own highly efficient power-heat-cooling trigeneration plant, which also produces electricity and cooling energy. The remainder of the heat requirement is met using natural gas-fired boilers. Thermal wheels are used in many areas of the Company to recover heat; many hundreds of these units are deployed in Ingolstadt. The use of 19 heat recovery systems in the paint shop, for example, extracts approximately 35,000 megawatt hours per year, which corresponds to a CO2 reduction of around 7,000 tons.

Audi is also driving progress in the field of photovoltaics. The carmaker has made the roofs of numerous factory buildings at the Ingolstadt plant available to Munich-based Green City Energy. The photovoltaic modules installed there over an area of 11,600 square meters (124,900 square feet) produce more than 1,000 megawatt hours of electrical energy a year. An expansion of the photovoltaic surface area, including to the second German Audi site in Neckarsulm, is currently under review. And just a few months ago, Automobili Lamborghini, a subsidiary of the Audi Group, took a 17,000 square meter (183,000 square feet) solar power plant on line.

Beyond the factory gates – the Oak Forest research project

At Audi, environmental protection does not stop at the factory gates. In collaboration with the Bavarian State Forest Service and the Technical University of Munich, the Company has launched the “CO2 Reservoir Oak Forest” research project in the vicinity of the Ingolstadt plant. The project is focused on the scientific investigation of biological and ecological interrelationships. Audi planted roughly 36,000 Pendunculate Oaks for the project in 2008. A second trial site near the Györ production site in Hungary was planted with more than 13,000 oaks. Other sites are currently in planning.

The Company’s commitment is also manifest in the newly established Audi Environmental Foundation, which has been endowed with five million euros. The foundation’s aim is to protect the natural livelihood of people, animals and plants. It will fund measures and research activities that encourage the development of environmentally compatible non-automotive technologies, promote environmental education and contribute to a sustainable human/environment system.

Universal – environmental management at Audi

Sustainable business practices are an integral component of the Audi corporate strategy, in which environmental protection and innovation are linked. Audi has been awarded the European Union’s seal for outstanding environmental protection.

The Company is also involved within the framework of the 3rd Bavarian Environment Pact, which is dedicated to environment-friendly economic growth. Particularly high value is placed on the sharing of information with suppliers. The greater use of environmental protection strived for at the suppliers gives Audi greater influence on indirect environmental aspects by enabling the early development of holistic solutions.

The Audi Group is considered both in Germany and abroad to be one of the pioneers of site-specific environmental protection. EMAS (Eco Management and Audit Scheme), the demanding environmental management system of the European Union that far exceeds standard requirements, was installed in Ingolstadt (1997), Neckarsulm (1995), Györ (1999), Brussels (2002) and Sant’Agata Bolognese (2009), and has been steadily optimized in the interest of continuous improvement.

The Ingolstadt, Györ, and Sant’Agata Bolognese sites are also certified to the global standard DIN EN ISO 14001, which ensures continuous improvement of environmental protection performance. Furthermore, the environmental management system at the Ingolstadt plant has been certified to the European standard DIN EN 16001. This stipulates particularly stringent requirements for the steady and systematic reduction of energy consumption. The Audi plant in Ingolstadt was the first automobile plant to be awarded this certificate.

To conserve water resources, Audi is making greater use of rainwater at the Ingolstadt plant, where it is gathered over an area of 450,000 square meters (4,843,800 square feet), collected in five retaining pools and two storage sewers and forwarded to a treatment plant. The pools supplied more than 235,000 cubic meters (8,298,900 cubic feet) of process water in 2009.

Innovative and efficient – the products
When it comes to the products, Audi is further expanding its Vorsprung durch Technik  with highly efficient TDI, FSI and TFSI engines and many new solutions from the modular efficiency platform. The lightweight construction of the Audi Space Frame reduces vehicle weight, and the aluminum bodies also enjoy major advantages in the overall energy balance and with recycling.

Audi is also concurrently hard at work on the development of alternative drive systems, with the Audi Q5 hybrid scheduled to debut next year. For a glimpse at the brand’s interpretation of the sustainable mobility of the future, one only need look at the Audi e-tron family, which features tailored concepts for each segment.

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Continuing from where we left on Tuesday, here is the second part of the series about Audi’s Green Logistics Proram. In case you missed first part please read Audi’s Green Logistics Program Part 1.

By train across Europe – efficient transport

Audi has relied on resource-efficient logistics for many years now. Up to 70 percent of all cars manufactured by the brand with the four rings arrive at their destinations by freight train. Many large components are also transported within the Volkswagen Group by rail.

Audi also uses the railroad for the high-volume traffic between the Ingolstadt and Györ sites. The painted bodies-in-white and add-on parts of the Audi TT depart Bavaria in closed, double-decker freight cars for assembly in northwestern Hungary. The finished cars then return to Ingolstadt over the same 610 kilometer long rail line, as do the engines assembled in Györ for the entire Audi model lineup.

Over the last 12 years, the trains have covered roughly ten million rail kilometers on the line between Györ and Ingolstadt, thus replacing more than 325,000 trips by truck. This represents an annual saving of 36,000 tons CO2. The high share of sustainably generated hydropower electricity in the Austrian rail system plays an important part in this good balance.

Where transport by truck is necessary, Audi pools shipments regionally within the Group network at so-called consolidation centers, so that the items can be transported to the plants with fully loaded trucks. This significantly reduces the number of road shipments and avoids unnecessary CO2 emissions.

The Logistics Center (GVZ), which houses numerous suppliers, was established in Ingolstadt in 1995. Key suppliers produce their assemblies there and deliver them directly to the assembly line according to the just-in-sequence principle. This close cooperation greatly reduces pollution due to the very short transport distances.

Less is more – resource-efficient Audi production

Audi places great value in all areas of the Company on maximum efficiency and resource conservation. In the logistics area, for example, the “PackAssistant” software ensures that the space in packing and containers is used optimally. The savings potential of up to 20 percent enables the elimination of numerous shipments from the supplier to the factory.

A major focus of Audi’s environmental activities is the reduction of energy consumption in car production. Taking the planned expansion of capacity into account, AUDI AG has stated the goal of reducing site- and company-specific CO2 emissions by 30 percent relative to 1990 by the year 2020. Overall energy consumption at the Audi Group has held steady for several years now, despite the significantly increased production volume.

The continuous improvement of the energy efficiency of the production facilities is very important in this context. Audi accomplishes this with new technologies, such as more efficient robots and new welding tongs, and with a large number of intelligent solutions. When engines are tested on the engine test rigs at the Neckarsulm site, for instance, generators are used to produce electricity, which is fed into the plant’s grid. The Company’s latest project is a particularly lightweight die for the body shop featuring carbon fiber composites in many areas. Developed in-house by Audi Toolmaking, it saves 43 percent electricity versus a conventional unit.

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Vorsprung durch Technik is usually translated as “progress through technology” but to describe Audi’s progressive evolution and advancements in the premium car manufacturing field, a more suitable translation would be “advancement through technology”.

With 33 models worldwide whose average CO2 emissions are below the 140g/km, Audi have earned the leading position among the premium car manufacturers and – thanks to the Vorsprung durch Technik philosophy – the company has plans to reduce fleet CO2 emissions by another 20% by 2012.

Proof of that, is the newly launched Audi A3 1.6 TDI which was already the “greenest” car in the premium sector. An accolade Audi have managed to crack by reaching the 100g/km mark a long with CO2 emissions of only 99g/km associated with an impressive fuel consumption of 74.3mpg.

But Audi’s environmental concern goes beyond its vehicles and optimised assembly lines. Audi has taken a literal approach to the proverbial “green shoots of recovery” and is funding the reforestation of the Kösching Forest, destroyed in 2007 by dark beetles and heavy storms.

The Korsching Forest is located near Audi Headquarters in Ingolstadt where Audi is funding the planting of 36,000 oak trees that will cover a total six hectares which will be the basis of the “Oak Forest CO2 Reservoir”. The initiative is a partnership between Audi, the Bavarian State Forestry and the Chair of Forest Yield Science at the Technical University of Munich.

Reforesting the Korsching Forest is just the tip of the iceberg of Audi’s environmental commitment as plans are underway for additional sites at international locations such as Audi’s production site in Gyor, Hungary, where 13,000 Pedunculate Oaks will be planted covering an area of 4 hectares.

The newly sown forest is a particularly tangible indicator of the Audi’s commitment to sustainability and environmental protection, but it is just one example of the numerous measures the prestige car manufacturer is implementing to conserve resources in both the cars themselves and in their production.

Vorsprung Durch Technik means “progress through technology” and a literal translation would be ‘advancement through technology’. This strapline has been used by Audi since the 80’s to highlight the company reputation for technical expertise.

Progress through technology has not only been Audi’s ad strapline but has also been the company’ working philosophy since its creation back in 1909. Since then, Audi has contributed to a number of milestones for the auto industry.

Over the past decade, Audi has revolutionised the auto industry with a number of technological advancements that prove performance and efficiency can be combined without sacrificing one or the other.

When Audi’s engineers develop a new technology, they have only one thing in mind: increase vehicle efficiency without sacrificing performance – hence Audi Space Frame and the ultra-precise S-tronic transmission.

ASF (Audi Space Frame) is an innovative way to build a vehicle’s body with a lightweight high-strength aluminium frame that gives a car outstanding safety, excellent performance and phenomenal efficiency, while the S-tronic transmission – with its shorter gear changes increase fuel efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions – combines the agility and responsiveness of a manual gearbox with the convenience of an Automatic.

With the TDI engines, Audi simply redefined the diesel engine; with its unique common rail system for more efficiency and power delivering better performance along with a 15% reduction in fuel consumption while the TFSI engines where the first to combine petrol direct injection and turbocharging to provide greater power with reduced fuel consumption.

On the new TDIe engines, the ‘e’ stands for efficient. These engines are without a doubt the most efficient diesel engines in the world and it’s already on the roads running models such as the Audi A6 2.0 TDIe and the Audi A4 2.0 TDIe (with remarkable CO2 emissions of only 139g/km, resulting in an annual road tax of just £120 and a competitive 18% company car tax rating).

Audi is cleaning up the premium sector with its highly efficient models. The new Audi A3 1.6 TDI has the lowest CO2 emissions in its class with just 109g/km. For Audi, good efficiency means low emissions and low emissions means cheaper road tax, making the A3 range one of the best choices for a company car. Add that to the Audi contract hire and leasing options you can potentially save thousands of pound each year.

One of Audi’s most innovative and economy focused technologies is the Recuperation Technology, which recycles the energy used to brake to lighten the engine’s load reducing fuel consumption by up to 3%. Already making the difference in models like the new Audi A8 and the next gen of Audi A3s.

As you can see, Audi follow the “Vorsprung Durch Technik” strapline from the design to the quality inspection process each vehicle goes through. Such attention to detail coupled with a genuine environmental concern has earned Audi a series of awards over the years. The most recent high-profile accolade going to the Audi A3, which has been named 2009 Green Car of the Year by the Green Car Journal. Another massive award coming from What Car? Magazine, who have given the title of “Most efficient luxury car” to the A8 2.8 FSI.

Now its time for you to have your say about Audi highly efficient models, if you had to choose which Audi model would you crown the most Highly Efficient of them all?

A week after we announced that Audi was cleaning the premium sector with the next gen of Audi A3 with array of highly efficient diesel and also petrol engines comes the first accolade for this eco-friendly generation of Audi A3s.

The Audi A3 TDI earned the prestigious title of 2010 Green Car of the Year. The announcement was made yesterday morning during the L.A Auto Show as Ron Rogan, editor and publisher of Green Car Journal and editor of Greencar.com presented the award to Audi of America President, Johan de Nysschen.

Since 2005 the Green Car Journal has been awarding manufacturers who are working hard towards developing vehicles with an environmental concern. This year the Audi A3 TDI emerged victorious among five other finalists.

The trailblazing TDI 2.0 engine powering the A3 delivers 140hp with an impressive 236 lb-ft of torque, yet achieves a remarkable 50 mpg (42 mpg US) fuel efficiency, lowest in its segment. That means the Audi A3 TDI achieves 50% better fuel economy than a comparable gasoline engine.

“We consider the Green Car of the Year® title one of the most important industry accolades. It is of paramount importance for us to develop vehicles that achieve the very touchstones this award stands for: fuel efficiency and environmental impact. Rather than novelty features, we consider these attributes imperative to the future of automobile design. We are honoured with this recognition for the Audi A3 TDI.” said Johan de Nysschen, President Audi of America.

The Audi A3 TDI was not the only model to take an accolade back to Ingolstadt, the Audi A5 was named 2010’s Best Resale Value Award luxury car winner by Kelley Blue Book’s (www.kbb.com) and was honoured in two categories: Top 10 Model overall and Best Luxury Car. Not only did the Audi Q7 take home the Earth, Wind & Power(SM) environmental award, it was only named Most Environmentally Progressive Truck of the Year.

When it comes to fuel efficiency, low CO2 emissions and high performance, Audi leads the way among the premium car manufacturers. To confirm the efficiency excellence of its models, Audi has put 20 models to the test in a long distance trip through Europe which the company named “Efficiency Challenge A to B”.

“Audi’s Efficiency Challenge A to B” will cover exact 4,182Km through Europe in 9 days, from A on the Lofoten archipelago in Norway to Bée on Lake Maggiore in northern Italy.

To prove that efficiency is a standard in every Audi, the company is not only putting to test its optimised fuel efficient models but also the top sporty models of each line, in total Audi has lined up five model series for this Efficiency Challenge.

The Efficiency challenge will also mark the day view for the ultra-efficient Audi A3 1.6 TDI with CO2 emissions of only 99g/Km who will be joined by other models including the more sportive S3 Sportback.

Other models taking part on “Audi’s Efficiency Challenge A to B” are the Audi A4 TDI e, the 333hp Audi S4, Audi A5 Sportback 2.0 TFSI, the Audi A5 Sportback 3.2 FSI. Representing the Audi Q7 family will be the Audi Q7 3.0 TDI clean diesel quattro and the more powerful Audi Q7 6.0 TDI quattro.

The TT range is also taking part on the Challenge with models like the Audi TT 2.0 TDI quattro and the top of the range Audi TT RS.

This Efficiency Challenge will also serve to highlight even further the effectiveness of Audi’s modular efficiency platform which brings together a broad portfolio of highly effective technologies.

The tour which already started the past Tuesday September 22nd has been broken down into three stages, each consisting of several days. The first runs from Å to Trondheim in southern Norway; the second to the German capital city of Berlin; and the third ends at the final destination on Wednesday September 30 at the town of Bée overlooking Lake Maggiore. The tour includes a wide range of roads and landscapes, taking participants along the coastal roads on the Lofoten islands and across Germany’s autobahns. The route encompasses impressive cities such as Oslo, Copenhagen and Prague as well as the towering mountains of the Alps.

We want to hear from you now. Which Audi model do you think will have the best fuel efficiency?

Leave your opinion in our comments section and make sure you don’t miss our follow up article with the challenge figures.

Major problems with diesels engines have been in the most part solved thanks to Audi and its 20 years of research to make diesel engines cleaner, stronger and faster, Audi’s highly efficient TDI clean diesel engines reduces CO2 emissions by 20% over petrol engines and are 30% more fuel efficient.

Audi has started a campaign to raise the public awareness for its TDI clean diesel engines and is planning to expand it all over the world, in America Audi has committed to support The Nature Conservancy a voluntary carbon offset program that counterbalances carbon emissions by reforesting private lands to capture and store carbon, Audi will donate 1 US Dollar for every Facebook user who joins the cause at www.causes.com/natureconservancy.

Audi is always investing in innovations to reduce its engines CO2 emissions and without a doubt, one the biggest innovations so far was the introduction of the Audi Q7 TDI clean diesel, but Audi commitment with the environment doesn’t stop there, Audi want to promote reduced CO2 emission by supporting organizations and by spreading the word about the benefits of reduced emissions.

We could expect to see a similar campaign from Audi here in the UK, meanwhile it is worth reminding our readers that a wide range of Audi TDI models emit less than 200g/Km which means you won’t have to pay 3% company car tax penalty levied on diesel engines.

When the subject is highly efficient eco-friendly turbo charged engines, no other auto maker in the world has more authority than Audi. Over the years Audi has developed their diesel engines with excellence merging efficiency with driving pleasure and proving that performance and fuel efficiency can be combined.

A perfect example of this are the newly developed 1.6 TDI engines for the Audi A3 with outputs of 90hp and 105p, these new engines combine performance and fuel efficiency with low CO2 emissions.

With a fuel consumption of 68.8 mpg the Audi A3 equipped with the 105hp 1.6 TDI engine sprints from 0-62mph in impressive 11.4 seconds and reaches a top speed of 121mph while maintaining CO2 emissions at only  175 g/mile (109 g/km).

Meanwhile, the smaller engine with 90hp also proves to have great fuel efficiency and good performance with its high torque of 230 Nm. This engine allows the Audi A3 to sprint from 0.62mph in 12.9 seconds and reach a top speed of 112mph and CO2 emissions of 190 g/mile (118g/km).

Audi combines a series of factors to achieve these impressive numbers, first we have Audi’s start/stop technology, extremely effective for city driving, as soon as the vehicle comes to a stop, the shift lever is in neutral, and once the driver removes their foot from the clutch pedal, the system turns the engine off. The engine then turns back on as soon as the clutch pedal is depressed.

But fuel saving starts before the A3 stops at the traffic light, with Audi’s energy recovery system the alternator converts kinetic energy to usable energy during a vehicle’s coasting and braking phases before temporarily storing it in the battery. This stored energy is then used in electrical components when driving off or accelerating reducing the load on the alternator saving of to 3% fuel.

Audi has approved a new strategy to build a range of eco cars. They will be clean, low CO2 cars, dubbed internally E1 to E5 and spanning everything from a small city car to sports cars.

Audi E1- The E1 electric car is the smallest clean Audi and is based on Volkswagen’s NSF family. That’s essentially the sub-Polo mini car based on the VW Up concept, which will also be badged as a Seat and Skoda.

Audi E2 – Audi’s eco sports care will be the iteration of the VW BlueSport concept car – and it’ll be a mid-engined sports car aimed at the Mazda MX-5 family. Clean aero, light weight and a string of stingy powerplants will ensure the E2 is a clean, green sports car.

Audi E3 – Audi are relaunching the A2, renamed as E3. It will again use aluminium-intensive construction and be based on the cost-efficient MQB matrix due for the 2011 A3 hatch.

Audi E4 – There’s a new name and a second chance for the Audi Roadjet concept which quietly disappeared after its debut at the 2006 Detroit auto show.

Audi E5 – By 2014, Audi plans another green sports car. This should come as good news for enthusiasts worried about the future of fast cars.

The Guardian reports that VT Training has won an award in this year’s Fleet Heroes awards.

VT Training is one of the country’s biggest vocational training organisations. They have introduced a company car scheme that is reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, by encouraging employees to use company cars with low co2 emissions rather than using their own cars for company business.

Nationally, there are an estimated 4milion private cars used for work; the so-called grey fleets. And with The new Corporate Manslaughter Act, makes it more likely that directors will be prosecuted if their employees have serious accidents whilst driving unsafe vehicles Making sure the wide range of private vehicles are safe could be a time consuming and costly business.

Audi have a low emissions version of the Audi A3 which matches the co2 emissions 119g/km of the cars used by VT Training. There is also a tax benefit for employees taking a car in this band – with the next band up adding an additional £10 month to the benefit in kind.

The new Audi A3 TDI three-door hatchback has been available since August, and from October the five-door Audi A3 Sportback is available on contract hire at £292*a month.