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Audi Hungaria steps on the gas

2017. 03. 07.

Győr, 7 March, 2017 – Audi Hungaria continues to expand its development competencies. To complement its electric motor production activities, the company is working on including other alternative drive systems in its portfolio. The Audi A4 Avant g-tron engine, in addition to being the first engine to be developed under the leadership of Audi Hungaria, is also the first CNG engine manufactured in Győr. The engine is capable of operating on both compressed natural gas (CNG) and petrol.

“Audi Hungaria is continuously developing and constantly includes new fields in its scope of competencies. The development of the CNG engine is the result of the excellent cooperation between Hungarian and German engineers,” said Peter Kössler, Chairman of the Board of Management at Audi Hungaria. “I’m extremely proud that we could successfully see this project through, from the development of the CNG engine to the commencement of its series production, obtaining expertise unique to the Audi Group along the way.”

Both the range and the refuelling frequency of CNG engines are similar to diesel models. By using Audi e-gas, the customer practically utilises a climate-neutral mode of transportation, as the production process of this gas involves binding CO₂. The engineers working on the development of the engine used approximately 30 new components and materials to ensure it is capable of switching to gas operation. This included installing an oil filter entirely made of synthetic materials in a four-cylinder petrol engine, which prevents natural gas from damaging the engine during operation due to its higher water content.

During its testing, the engine was subjected to extreme temperature conditions, including a frosty -35 °C in Scandinavia. The parts needed for gas operation were made more resistant to cold temperatures with additional developments that, for instance, prevent gas valves from freezing. To ensure a problem-free driving experience in the summer heat as well, the development engineers focused on improving the components that are active in petrol operation. In order to protect the high-pressure injection valve (which can heat up to 400 °C during gas combustion) in petrol operation, it was fitted with a stainless steel valve casing.

A special test stand (the first of its kind across the Audi Group) was also put into operation by Audi Hungaria in Győr for performing tests on the CNG engine.

The Audi Hungaria Powertrain Development department worked in close cooperation with the Ingolstadt plant on this first-ever CNG engine series produced by Audi. This department has been playing a central role in new product ramp-ups and series production of engines for 16 years now. Currently, 230 engineers and other employees are working on various development projects such as the development of engine derivatives, as well as on friction optimisation and engine acoustics analysis.

CNG engine manufacturing commenced on a production line originally meant for assembling four-cylinder engines. The line was adjusted to suit the needs of the new engine and, moreover, a new testing procedure was introduced as well. The special feature of this test is that the tightness of the engine is examined with helium, which enables a more accurate measurement.

Audi Hungaria manufactured six different petrol and five different diesel engine variants in 2016, with their output ranging between 63kW (86bhp) and 449kW (610bhp).

The engine production plant in Győr supplies engines to some 30 vehicle production sites in the Volkswagen Group, across three continents. In 2016, approximately two million engines were produced at Audi Hungaria.

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