The eProduction project is sponsored by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and has included the acquisition of two companies, software and engineering specialists, as partners. Seven German universities and institutes are also involved.

As well as studying new materials and joining techniques, including the value of certain lightweight components, Audi said the project would boost safety for employees manufacturing parts through training and automation, helping the carmaker to build future vehicle components in-house. It also creates extra jobs and is aimed at helping the German government to reach its goal of putting one million electric vehicles on the road by 2020.

Frank Dreves, Member of the Board of Management for Production at AUDI AG, said: ‘With eProduction we are taking the next important step on the road to electric mobility. This will put us in a position to produce electrically powered cars in larger numbers – in a way that is efficient, safe, robust and sustainable.’

BMBF director, Prof. Dr. Wolf-Dieter Lukas, added: ‘The increasing level of electrification of the automobile has significant consequences for the production process. This applies particularly to battery production, which represents a large proportion of the value chain. We at the BMBF are delighted to be supporting this project through our sponsorship.’