Carbon Copy – alternative ‘E’ friendly fuels
As the world places greater focus towards reducing further environmental impact from a variety of damaging pollutants, a range of clean air initiatives have been introduced around the world. Most of these policies are designed to set reduction strategies for heavy transport emitters and are being led by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Ever-changing and stricter emission standards around the world require manufacturers of cars, trucks and anything that burns fossil fuels to maintain technology improvements to meet them. An example is the heavyduty truck and machinery industry that has made sweeping changes so that now most heavy-duty manufacturers will meet or comply with Euro VI standards as minimum.
To work on these you need a genuine up-to-date heavy-duty 24-volt and 12-volt scanner to diagnose and perform testing, DPF (Particulate Filter) burn off, Ad Blue Monitoring solution control, oxygen sensors testing, and clear fault codes to return the vehicle back to within “Normal operating conditions”. Removing Limp modes can have a positive impact on the environment, so performing a diagnostic scan and clearing codes during every oil change or service is critical. In New Zealand regulated emission testing is currently based on a visual test only.
Fossil fuels to alternative “E”(Environmentally) friendly such as electric drive is the shift away from the industry standard of the internal-combustion engine. The technology drive will offer a varied range of battery solutions and applications to cater to this new technology demand. The rapid shift is driven by the need to address urgent environmental pollution contributors. Multiple automotive industry manufacturers are investigating bio and synthetic fuels to keep internal-combustion engines going as tougher emissions standards increase. Finding alternatives to fossil fuels is now a race, with technology developing out of a real need to power obsolete fossil powered engines. While petroleum and diesel fuels are refined from naturally occurring, carbon-based, crude oil, synthetic fuels are made via combining various molecules into a substance able to simulate qualities in carbonbased fossil fuels used in combustion engines.
The process ideally will be carbon neutral, because a base component of most synthetic fuels is the carbon extracted from the atmosphere. So, while burning synthetic fuel may still produce carbon emissions, it is thought the recovery of that carbon equals the use of the carbon for more fuel production. And unlike fossil fuels, you can always make more synthetic fuel. In addition to keeping gasoline cars on the road, synthetic fuel also has one of gasoline’s primary advantage of high energy density, due to the calorific value of fossil fuels and smaller tank weight and size requirements. High energy density is a factor which currently limits even hydrogen gas, or lithium-ion batteries used in electric cars.
A main reason electric cars are slowly growing in popularity is because of urgent government encouragement and an ever-growing population of greenminded motorists. Increasing government and local body regulations together with financial incentives are required to drive continual clean technology adoption. Once the momentum is reached when battery storage costs half and driving range is tripled, company fleets, for example, will start to prefer electric vehicles over the internal-combustion engine.
If you run a business servicing cars you will need a genuine local region diagnostic scan tool. You may already know it is not easy deciding which scanner fits your needs and what is the best “bang for your buck”. Smaller general workshops are tempted to find a basic device and the lowest price around. You probably know that we only sell genuine diagnostic equipment with the widest relevant vehicle coverage, scanner functionality and reliability.
Beware the code reader! There is a reason why code readers are sold much cheaper. OBD code readers for example are designated as OBD readers as with all code readers these are generally DIY users for basic resets, generic
OBD code DTC reading and clearing. They generally only clear OBD output codes and may not clear module specific fault codes. Limp modes can stay on even after an OBD code clear. Not recommended for workshops as the primary scanner.
As this new technology is becoming common in most late model cars and trucks, there needs to be effective diagnostic scanning solutions that can not only remove limp modes, code modules, relearn adaptive values and read live data, clear DTC codes and calibrate ADAS systems and make short work of your diagnostic time.
Quantum Mechanics Limited is pleased to announce its official status as a Capricorn New Zealand Preferred Supplier.
We only support genuine Launch-tech equipment purchased through us. Please note: THINKCAR NZ will only support genuine THINKCAR and THINKTOOL tech equipment purchased through us. Finance is available.
For fast response please fill out our contact us form. As CRA members we also offer a CRA membership discount on equipment. Equipment loans are available via various easy finance solutions.
For LAUNCH NZ enquiries, please call Support 021 241 4885 for quick response. www.launchnz.co.nz
For THINKCAR NZ enquiries, please call Support 021 241 4411 for quick response. www.thinkcarnz.co.nz
Quantum mechanics – For Autel and OBDstar other automotive products call 0508 42 88 66.
The Audi slogan “Vorsprung durch Technik” is marking its 50-year anniversary this year. Even half a century after its inception, the worldfamous slogan of the Four Rings hasn’t lost any of its appeal. And each year, there’s a little bit more history behind it. On this momentous occasion, the company is looking back at a plethora of innovations over five decades that demonstrate why “Vorsprung durch Technik” isn’t just a slogan for Audi – it’s also an expression of the company’s future-oriented approach.
The birth of the slogan
1969 saw the merger of Auto Union
GmbH, headquartered in Ingolstadt, and Neckarsulmer NSU Motorenwerke to form Audi NSU Auto Union AG at the Neckarsulm location. The new company’s range of models spanned from the air-cooled engines of the rear-wheel drive NSU Prinz series and the water-cooled four-cylinder engines of the front-wheel drive Audi 60 and Audi 100 to the rotary engine of the futuristic-looking NSU Ro 80. The idea to communicate this technological diversity as a competitive advantage came in 1970 from Hans Bauer. The employee in the Audi NSI advertising department devised the slogan that people around the world would come to recognise: “Vorsprung durch Technik.” In English, the slogan means ‘progress through technology’.
The new slogan made its first appearance in a large-sized ad in January of 1971. Soon, customers also saw it in Audi NSU brochures.
Audi 100, Audi 100 Coupé S, Audi 80 or Audi
50 – they all now represented “Vorsprung durch Technik.” With the introduction of the Audi quattro in 1980, the slogan was used more frequently in advertising. The largest illuminated advertisement in Europe at the time was installed on a high-rise along the A9 Autobahn at the exit for Ingolstadt-Nord: the reddish-brown Audi oval with the slogan “Vorsprung durch Technik.” The slogan became a clear part of the Audi Corporate Identity by October 1986, when it was also used in the sales brochures for the Audi 80. Today, fifty years later, it’s synonymous with the company.
Changing technology
Which milestones laid the foundation for the fact that “Vorsprung durch Technik” continues to represent the drive for innovation at Audi and that the slogan is still used in all Audi advertising? Oliver Hoffmann, Member of the Board of Management of AUDI AG for Technical Development: “The most important milestone for me is quattro technology. Not only was it the foundation for our rally successes, it also represents the transfer of our experience from racing into serial production. Since then, quattro and Audi go hand-in-hand. Equally important was the first Audi A8 with Audi Space Frame technology in 1194, which helps us finally cement our place in the premium segment.”
The “decade of Audi” was kicked off in Le Mans in the early 2000s. With new technologies such as FSI, Turbo-FSI, laser light, ultra technology and hybrids, the Four Rings dominated the renowned long-distance race as the unparalleled serial winner. The aluminium compact A2 1.2 TDI also made its debut: It was the first and, to this day, only four-door three-litre car.
The company made the next quantum leap in 2018 with the introduction of the Audi e-tron, the first fully electric Audi vehicle to go into serial production, boasting a range of 400 kilometers and blazing the trail for premium electromobility. Three years later came the market launch of the Audi e-tron
GT, revolutionary in its design and proof that the future of e-mobility will be exciting. The new brand campaign “Future is an Attitude” underlines the future-oriented approach of Audi to continually question age-old views of mobility.
At the end of the 2010s, sustainability became a core company goal. “This is why Audi is consistently dedicated to the environment, pulling together numerous measures for resource efficiency and reducing the ecological footprint in its locationindependent environmental programme ‘Mission Zero,’” says Hildegard Wortmann, Member of the Board of Management of
Audi AG for Sales and Marketing. The goal: for Audi to be carbon-neutral by 2050. “We are developing into a provider of sustainable premium mobility and want to be a leader here. Which is why we are focusing our efforts to be a technological leader on environmentally friendly driving”.