Audi Goes Green With Hybrid Locomotive at Ingolstadt Factory
Shoumeshwar Sen
1 mins read
2015-11-02 22:41:23
Key Highlights
Audi is going the eco-friendly way inside its plant in Ingolstadt, Germany by using a plug-in hybrid locomotive. The Alstom-manufactured 1,000bhp plug-in hybrid will serve at Audi's largest factory and will reduce CO2 emissions by up to 60 tons annually compared to a regular locomotive. This would enable the Volkswagen Group-owned carmaker to achieve an almost CO2-neutral status at the factory.
"Our goal is all-round sustainable logistics," stated Johann Schmid, head of the Audi plant railway in Ingolstadt. "The new railway technology allows more economical, energy-efficient and low-emission rail transport. In connection with the latest chassis technology, the plug-in-hybrid locomotive sets new standards in shunting and rail transport.
"The size and performance of the locomotives are perfectly tailored to our requirements. Whereas the old traction vehicles consume over 20 litres of fuel per hour, the generator of the hybrid locomotive, which is needed only to charge the battery block, requires a maximum of 9 litres per hour," added Schmid.
The new locomotive runs without any emissions inside the plant buildings and can operate for up to two hours at a time in purely electric mode. Its battery is plugged in during breaks for recharging with CO2-free electricity, and is supported by a diesel engine while it is in motion.
The automobile plant in Ingolstadt includes 18 kilometres of railways and around 15 goods trains ply everyday at Ingolstadt railway station for Audi, loaded with pressed parts, engines and transmissions, as well as cars from other Audi sites that are ready for delivery to customers.
One locomotive carries out up to 75 shunting manoeuvres at the factory every day and operates for an average of 3,800 hours each year.
The Volkswagen Group is currently going through a bit of a rough patch due to their not-so-environmentally-friendly EA189 TDI engines. However, they are trying to get their act together on that front and have announced plans to focus on greener cars and more eco-friendly factories.
"Our goal is all-round sustainable logistics," stated Johann Schmid, head of the Audi plant railway in Ingolstadt. "The new railway technology allows more economical, energy-efficient and low-emission rail transport. In connection with the latest chassis technology, the plug-in-hybrid locomotive sets new standards in shunting and rail transport.
"The size and performance of the locomotives are perfectly tailored to our requirements. Whereas the old traction vehicles consume over 20 litres of fuel per hour, the generator of the hybrid locomotive, which is needed only to charge the battery block, requires a maximum of 9 litres per hour," added Schmid.
The new locomotive runs without any emissions inside the plant buildings and can operate for up to two hours at a time in purely electric mode. Its battery is plugged in during breaks for recharging with CO2-free electricity, and is supported by a diesel engine while it is in motion.
The automobile plant in Ingolstadt includes 18 kilometres of railways and around 15 goods trains ply everyday at Ingolstadt railway station for Audi, loaded with pressed parts, engines and transmissions, as well as cars from other Audi sites that are ready for delivery to customers.
One locomotive carries out up to 75 shunting manoeuvres at the factory every day and operates for an average of 3,800 hours each year.
The Volkswagen Group is currently going through a bit of a rough patch due to their not-so-environmentally-friendly EA189 TDI engines. However, they are trying to get their act together on that front and have announced plans to focus on greener cars and more eco-friendly factories.
Related News
Popular Audi Models
Latest Cars
Maruti Suzuki
VictorisEx-showroom Price₹ 11.93 - 23.19 Lakh
VinFast
VF7Ex-showroom Price₹ 24.23 - 29.57 Lakh
VinFast
VF6Ex-showroom Price₹ 19.13 - 21.22 Lakh
Citroen
Basalt XEx-showroom Price₹ 7.95 - 13.11 Lakh
Mercedes-AMG
CLE 53Ex-showroom Price₹ 1.35 Crore
Renault
TriberEx-showroom Price₹ 5.76 - 8.6 Lakh
MG
M9 EVEx-showroom Price₹ 81.08 Lakh
BMW
2 Series Gran CoupeEx-showroom Price₹ 48.72 - 50.76 Lakh
Tesla
Model YEx-showroom Price₹ 69.47 - 78.75 Lakh
Kia
Carens Clavis EVEx-showroom Price₹ 20.87 - 28.41 Lakh
Upcoming Cars
Trending News
Latest News
Amaan Ahmed | Oct 1, 2025Tata Motors Snatches Second Place In Passenger Vehicle Retails In September 2025The Pune-based carmaker delivered more than 10,000 passenger vehicles on the first day of Navratri, and ended September with the second highest vehicle registrations, beating Mahindra and Hyundai to the spot.1 mins
Jaiveer Mehra | Oct 1, 2025Hyundai Creta Records Best-Ever Sales In India In September 2025Hyundai’s Venue subcompact SUV also witnessed a resurgence in demand, with sales reaching a 20-month high.2 mins
Janak Sorap | Oct 1, 2025Brixton Storr 500 India Launch In DecemberThe all-new Storr 500 is Brixton Motorcycles' first mid-capacity adventure motorcycle, designed to take on both highways and trails.2 mins
Jaiveer Mehra | Oct 1, 2025Porsche Cayenne EV Interior Revealed: Curved 'Flow' Touchscreen, AR HUD And MoreThe upcoming new electric Cayenne debuts a new curved 14.25-inch ‘Flow Display’ touchscreen; will also get a 14.9-inch optional co-driver display, augmented reality head-up display and more.1 mins
Jaiveer Mehra | Sep 30, 2025Michelin Unveils Made-In-India Passenger Vehicle Tyre RangeMade-in-India tyre series to include Pilot Sport 5, Primacy 5 and LTX Trail in sizes ranging from 16 to 22 inches.1 mins
Jafar Rizvi | Sep 30, 2025Ultraviolette X-47: Variants, Features, Prices ExplainedThe X-47 is available in two trims and four variants, with prices reaching up to Rs 3.99 lakh (ex-showroom).3 mins
