Audi Releases AI Trail: The Car with 5 Drones
German cars are known to be the best by a mile. Among the notable brands is Audi, the sleek sports car that has been dominating the roads for years. One of their latest releases has got car enthusiasts excited, and it should do the same to you by the time you are done watching this video.
Today, we look at Audi’s futuristic design AL Trail, unveiled at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show. The concept car is one of the many that has been released recently by different carmakers. Audi follows the path of Peugeot, Tesla, and Ferrari, which are also expected to put to the market new cars in the coming years.
Audi AG is a German automobile manufacturer that designs, engineers, produces, markets, and distributes luxury vehicles. It is a member of the Volkswagen Group and has its base at Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. Audi-branded vehicles are produced in nine production facilities worldwide. The roots of the company are complex, going back to the early 20th century. The initial enterprises -Horch and the Audiwerke, were founded by engineer August Horch who later teamed up with two other manufacturers (DKW and Wanderer), leading to the foundation of Auto Union in 1932. The modern era of Audi essentially began in the 1960s when Volkswagen acquired the Auto Union from Daimler-Benz. After relaunching the Audi brand with the 1965 introduction of the Audi F103 series, Volkswagen merged Auto Union with NSU Motorenwerke in 1969, thus creating the present-day form of the company.
Currently, Audi is a respected world giant known for the production of top luxurious rides. The automaker recently reminded us that they are done yet after unveiling its new concept at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show- Audi AI: Trail Quattro. The car combines futuristic design with autonomous driving and electric mobility. Before we get to the core of this, please keep in mind that this is just a concept and may not ever make its way to the production stage. That said, Audi’s parent company, Volkswagen, claims it will actually build the electric dune buggy concept was introduced in 2019; for a company of their caliber, we are left with no option but to believe them.
On proper examination, the first thing you notice is the car’s body, whose shape is reminiscent of a diamond and which is made entirely of glass. Like a helicopter cabin, it gives the passengers a panorama view of the surrounding nature — be it a Scandinavian forest, a desert landscape, or a rustically romantic canyon. Mr. Keyerleber, who is the design project manager for concept cars at Audi, says that this maximized transparency should give passengers a close connection to the outside world — while still allowing them to feel protected from its dangers. It’s perfect for off-road use — in fact, that’s what the entire design concept is based on.
The color of the AI: TRAIL should be something reminiscent of the north European wilderness — the unique silvery light of Scandinavia and the northern seas’ blue shading. With a length of 4.15 meters and a height of 1.67 meters, the concept car is relatively compact. The Audi AI: TRAIL’s single-frame grille serves as more than just a brand element that ties the 2019 concept car with the brand’s previous cars. The single-frame also serves to tie the exterior to the interior of the electric car. It’s easy to see that the Audi concept car is designed for use on rough terrain — the Quattro drive has become a design element. Eye-catching tires with visible technical elements give the car a good grip on the damp forest floor. They provide a link between the Quattro drive and the car’s body. Keyerleber explains that the low center of gravity — created by placing the battery in the underbody and using four electric motors — shows off the Quattro of the future. It’s meant to get around quietly and without emissions — to protect the environment.
If you didn’t know, the interior of the Audi AI: TRAIL already made waves at the IAA 2019: rather than rear passenger seats, the car is outfitted with two hanging seats that work according to the same principle as a hammock. And, as if this weren’t unusual enough, passengers can easily remove the hanging seat and bring it with them to wherever they want. This, according to Audi, accompanies the driver on his entire trip, whether in the car or on the hiking trail. The outdoor theme carries over into the entire interior of the electric car. The grab handles are made of climbing rope that is knotted using macramé techniques. And the functionality is essential. The armrests, for example, are treated with an anti-bacterial, dirt-repellant coating. Gadgets like potable water bottles and light objects with a flashlight feature can be used on trips outside the car. The “light companion” can scan the path and ensure that the hiker finds their way back safely.
Trying to shoe-horn autonomy in an off-road vehicle sounds like a nightmare. Still, Audi explains that the AI: Trail self-driving system isn’t meant to be used exclusively off the beaten path — just to enhance the experience of driving in more natural environments. Awesome though! Audi further explains that the data for friction values and slip, longitudinal and lateral acceleration provides the electronics with all necessary parameters they need in order to optimize drive stability. Instead of conventional low beams and high beams, the Audi AI: TRAIL is equipped with a total of five rotorless, triangular, electrically operated drones with integrated matrix LED elements. They are capable of landing on a roof rack or directly on the roof of the vehicle and docking onto the inductive charging elements.
The output of this surreal machine is as ambitious as its design. The Al: Trail’s drivetrain consists of four electric motors with a 320-kilowatt output and a maximum torque of 1,000 Newton-meters. That should be more than enough to ride over any steep hill or kick up gravel along an unpaved road.
The flying objects are Audi Light Pathfinders, which generate their lift in the same way as bladeless fans produce their airflow. Thanks to their markedly lightweight design, they can fly ahead of the AI: TRAIL, consuming comparably little energy in the process, and illuminate the path ahead, thereby replacing headlights entirely. If desired, the on-board cameras generate a video image that can be transmitted to the display in front of the driver via Wi-Fi, turning the Pathfinders into eyes in the sky. Yeah, that’s right: drones that fly ahead of the vehicle to light the way. Extravagant? Absolutely. Impractical? Most certainly. Nonetheless, awesome as hell.
It’s a cool concept, but it’s so far away from reality still. Drones for headlights, the best out there, only have about a 20-30-minute flight time, without the weight and running the power for a spotlight as well. The detached flying headlights would aid in perfect directionality. You can also reposition them to see anywhere and anything you would want to visually access, including drop-offs and roadsides- sounds great, don’t you think? The top-down light means fewer shadows onto the actual track. It’s not a practical solution, but it is an interesting feature.
The Audi Al: Trail Quattro is the fourth entrant in the series of concept cars with an electric drive system, which began with the presentation of Audi Aicon at the 2017 iteration of the IAA. It was followed by the unveiling of the Audi PB18 e-Tron, which made its debut in Pebble Beach in 2018. The third in the series is the Audi AI: ME, introduced at the 2019 Auto Shanghai Show. It is an autonomous city car aimed at megacities all over the world. It allows its passengers to stop worrying about the stop-and-go traffic inevitable in urban areas, offering them perfect connectivity and a comprehensive range of infotainment services, helping them spend their time in the vehicle as usefully as relaxed as possible.
Finally, with the AI: Trail, Audi is now opening up the potential applications for its visionary vehicles to include off-road terrain. If you happen to be an adventure lover, I can confidently advise you to make your order; if it comes out, this car is going to be the best off-road beast the world has ever seen.