Recharge Wrap-up: Porsche adds third 919 Hybrid for Le Mans, Audi to heat factory with geothermal
BMW i Ventures is investing in Zendrive, a driving focused data and analytics company. The cooperation of the two companies is meant to help advance safety and efficiency by making the “in-car mobility experience even smoother by optimizing commuting and driving patterns,” according to BMW i’s Ulrich Quay. The venture capital arm of BMW’s i brand also invests in JustPark, Chargepoint, Life360, Chargemaster and MyCityWay, and says it will have more strategic investment announcements in the coming months. Read more in the press release below.
The Audi Hungaria factory in Győr, Hungary will soon be getting geothermal energy from a nearby plant being constructed in Pér. When the facility is finished, Audi expects to source 82,000 megawatt hours of geothermal energy per year from it, or about six percent of its total heating needs. The clean energy helps Audi move “step by step along a path to developing a CO2‑neutral production plant,” says Audi’s Dr. Hubert Waltl. “The mobility of the future must be CO2‑neutral – and that applies not only to the use of our vehicles, but also to their production.” Read more in the press release below.
Supporters have begun a petition drive for the passage of an E15 ordinance in Chicago. Despite pushback from oil companies, the city council is close to passing the “Chicago Clean Air Choice Ordinance,” which includes the requirement by retailers to sell the 15-percent ethanol gasoline blend in the city. The ordinance includes an exception for stations selling less than 850,000 gallons of fuel per year. More than 4,000 people have signed the petition so far, with others leaving messages to voice their opinion on the matter in opposition to Big Oil’s attempt to block it. Read more at Domestic Fuel.
– Further Increasing safety and security through innovative mobility services.
New York City, NY. The BMW Group continues adding innovative mobility services under the brand BMW i. The company’s venture capital company, BMW i Ventures, is announcing a new investment in Zendrive. Zendrive is a company that uses data and analytics to improve driving. This latest investment will add to the number of BMW investments which currently includes JustPark, Chargepoint, Life360, Chargemaster, and MyCityWay.
“I am delighted that BMW i Ventures is making another strategic investment. This is the first in a series of investment announcements that will be made in the months ahead,” says Ulrich Quay, Managing Director of BMW i Ventures, LLC. “Zendrive offers a great addition to our portfolio and advances the BMW Group vision of convenient, safe and efficient mobility. BMW and Zendrive will explore ways to co-operate on innovative, car-related services in order to make the in-car mobility experience even smoother by optimizing commuting and driving patterns for a safer, more convenient ride.”
Jonathan Matus, CEO of Zendrive: “As a partner and investor, BMW’s guidance is incredibly valuable in our effort to rethink transportation. Their commitment to supporting safe, effective and affordable Mobility Services aligns well with Zendrive’s driver analytics tools that will improve transportation for everyone.”
About Zendrive
Founded in 2013 and based in San Francisco, CA, Zendrive makes driving better, safer, and more efficient for everyone through improved data and analytics. Using mobile tech and big data, it brings Driver-Centric Analytics to the On Demand driving economy. Zendrive’s customers include rideshare companies, valet parking and other service providers. Investors include First Round Capital, BMW i Ventures, and Bill Ford’s Fontinalis Partners, as well as founders of Yahoo, PayPal, and GenRe re-insurance. For more information about Zendrive, visit www.zendrive.com.
About BMW i Ventures
The BMW Group created BMW i Ventures – a Corporate Venture Capital Company based in New York City – to make early and mid-stage investments with high potential in the area of Mobility Services. These are services that make mobility smarter, more efficient and more flexible.
BMW i Ventures aims for strategic, long-term partnerships especially in the areas of e-mobility, navigation, parking, car sharing and intermodal mobility solutions.
BMW i Ventures is part of the brand BMW i, which is about the design and development of visionary vehicles and mobility services and a new perception of premium guided by sustainability.
Audi Hungaria: energy efficiency through supply of geothermal heat
– New geothermal plant near Győr factory
– Audi’s Board of Management Member for Production Dr. Hubert Waltl: “Conservation of resources in production processes has top priority”
The drilling has already begun: An ultramodern geothermal plant is to be constructed in Pér, close to the Audi Hungaria factory in Győr. After going into operation in just over a year, it will supply the company with at least 82,000 megawatt hours of geothermal energy per annum and will cover about 6 percent of total heat requirements.
“Energy-efficient products and conservation of resources in production processes have top priority within Audi’s environmental protection,” stated Dr. Hubert Waltl, Board of Management Member for Production at AUDI AG. “By focusing our attention of the use of raw materials and energy, we are moving step by step along a path to developing a CO2‑neutral production plant. The mobility of the future must be CO2‑neutral – and that applies not only to the use of our vehicles, but also to their production.”
Audi Hungaria utilizes a wide range of the latest technologies for the required efficiency and for lower CO2 emissions in production. “The geothermal plant is now another important milestone on the way to achieving our environmental targets at the site in Győr,” pointed out Thomas Faustmann, Chief Executive of AUDI HUNGARIA MOTOR Kft.” We are already one of the most energy-efficient companies in the region of eastern‑central Europe.”
For the new project, AUDI HUNGARIA MOTOR Kft. has signed a long-term contract on the supply of heat energy with the Hungarian company “DDEnergy.” With the plant, the company will obtain approximately 82,000 megawatt‑hours of geothermal energy each year, and will be able to cover about 60 percent of its total heat requirement with a neutral CO2 effect. In addition, Audi Hungaria will reduce its annual CO2 emissions by a further 19,800 tons.
The planned depth of the well is approximately 2,400 meters, which will require a drilling period of up to two months. After that, it will be possible to obtain hot water with a temperature of 100 degrees Celsius, which will be pumped into the heating system.
The drilling in Pér marks the starting point of the “Győr Geothermal Project,” with which geothermal resources are to be utilized for the region’s entire industrial energy supply. The project includes not only the drilling required wells, but also the development of a complete geothermal heating system.
