AUDI S8 2010 Owners Manual

0 Note
On vehicles with power ind iv id ual rear seats * some criteria mu st be
observed when attaching the child restraint using the
LATCH system:
• To attach the c hild restraint secu rely, the seat must be moved to
the farthest rear position, the seat heig ht set to the lowest pos it io n
and the head res tra int must be adj usted to the ve rt ica l posit io n
=> page 87.
• If a ch ild safe ty seat is attached to one of the rear seats, th is seat
must not be adjusted using the powe r contro ls under a ny circum ­
st ances. The easy en try fu nction for this se at must a lso be dea cti­
vated i n th e M MI
=> page 89. The c hild safety seat as well as the rear
se at can be dam aged by the adjus tment proce ss. •
Tether anchors and tether straps
Fig . 232 Tethe r
anc hors : recess flaps
behind the rear seat ­
backs
Th e te ther anchors for t he t hree rear se ating p osit io ns a re loca ted in
recesses in the rear window shelf=> fig. 232. Vehicles with power
ind iv id ual rear sea ts* are equippe d wit h two te ther anchors .
A tethe r is a straight o r V-s ha ped strap that att aches the top part of
a ch ild rest raint to special anchorage points in the vehicle .
Th e purpose of the te th er is to reduce the fo rw ar d move men t of the
child rest raint in a crash, in order to help reduce the risk of head injury
th at could be cause d by strik in g th e ve hicle in ter io r.
Safety first Vehicle OP-eration
Child Safety
Forward fac ing ch ild restraints manufactured after September 1,
1 999, are required by U.S. feder al regul ations to comp ly wi th new
child head moveme nt pe rformance requ ireme nts . These new per for­
mance re quirements ma ke a tether necessary on most new child
safety seats.
& WARNING
Improper installation of child restra ints will increase the risk of
injury and death in a crash.
• Always follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer
of the child restraint you intend to install in your Audi.
• Improper use of child restraint anchors (including tether
an chor s) can lead to injury in a collision . The anchors are designed
to withstand only those loads imposed by cor rectly fitted child
restraints.
• Never mount two child restraint systems on one LATCH lower
an chor point .
• Never attach two child restraint systems to one tether strap or
tether anchorage .
• Never attach a tether strap to a tie-down hook
in the luggage
c ompartment.
• Never use child restraint tether anchorages to secure safety
belts or other kinds of occupant restraints .
• Never se cure or atta ch any luggage or other items to the LATCH
lower anchorages or to the tether anchors.
• If a tether or other strap is used to attach a child restraint to
the front passenger seat, make sure that it is not so tight , that it
causes the weight-sensing mat to measure more weight than is
actually on the seat .
• The heavier weight registered can make the Advanced Airbag
System work as though an adult were on the seat and deploy the
Advanced Airbag when it must be suppressed causing serious or
even fatal injury to the child .
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Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

...,. Child Safety Pfl'I ____ _,.__ __________________________ _
& WARNING (continued)
• If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional circumstances and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay on,
immediately install the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer. •
Installing the upper tether strap on the
anchorage
Installing the tether strap
Fig. 233 Tether strap:
proper routing and
mounting
- Release or deploy the tether strap on the child restraint
according to the child restraint manufacturer's instruc­
tions.
- Guide the upper tether strap
under the rear head restraint
=> fig. 233 (raise the head restraint if necessary).
- Tilt the recess flap up to expose the anchor bracket.
- Attach the tether strap anchorage hook into the opening
of the tether anchorage. -
Pull on the tether strap hook so that the spring catch of
the hook is engaged.
- Tighten the tether strap firmly following the child
restraint manufacturer's instructions.
Releasing the tether strap
-Loosen the tension following the child restraint manufac­
turer's instructions.
- Depress the spring catch on the hook and release it from
the anchorage.
0 Note
If you leave the child restraint with the tether strap firmly installed
for several days, this could leave a mark on the upholstery on the seat
cushion and backrest in the area where the tether strap was installed.
The upholstery would also be permanently stretched around the
tether strap. This applies especially to leather seats.•
Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
Currently, few rear-facing child restraint systems come with a tether.
Please read and heed the child restraint system manufacturer's
instructions carefully to determine how to properly install the tether.
& WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat installed on the front
passenger seat will be seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates -even with an Advanced Airbag System.
• The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat or infant
carrier with great force and will smash the child safety seat and
child against the backrest, center armrest, or door.
~

Child Safety -
-------------------"'---
& WARNING (c on tinued )
• A tight tether or other strap on a rearward-facing child
restraint attached to the front pas senger seat can put too much
pressure on the weight-mat in the seat and register a heavier
weight in the Advanced Airbag System. The heavier weight regis­
tered can make the system work as though an adult were on the
s eat and deploy the Advan ced Airbag when it must be suppressed
caus ing serious or e ven fatal injury to the child.
• If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional circumstances and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay on,
immediately install the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer .•
Additional Information
Sources of information about child
restraints and their use
T here are a number of sources of addi tional information about child
restra in t selec tion , in stalla tion and use:
N HTSA a dvises t hat the best ch ild safety s eat is the one that fits you r
child and fits in your vehicle, and that yo u will use co rrectly and
consiste ntly.
Try before you buy!
U .S National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Tel. : 1-88 8-327- 4236 (T TY: 1-800- 424 -9153)
www.n htsa .gov
National SAFE KIDS Campaign
Tel. : (202) 662-0600
www.safe kids .org
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation Safety BeltSafe U
.S.A
T el. : (800 ) 74 5-SAFE ( Eng lish)
Tel. : (800) 747 -SA NO (Spa nish)
www.carseat.org
Transport Canada Information Centre
T el. : 1 (80 0) 333-037 1 or call 1 (6 13) 99 8-8 616 if you are i n the
Ottawa area
www. tc.gc.c a/ro ads afety
Audi Customer CARE
T el. : (800) 822-2834 •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Intelligent technology
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Intelligent technology
Notice about data recorded by
vehicle control modules
Your vehicle is not equipped with an Event Data Recorder (EDR),
installed by some manufacturers for the express purpose of
capturing data for retrieva l after an accident or crash event. ED R's are
sometimes called "crash recorders".
Some state laws restrict the retrieval or downloading of data stored
by ED R's that were installed in a vehicle for the express purpose of
retrieving data after an accident or crash event without the owner's
consent.
Although your vehicle is not equipped with an EDR, it is equipped w ith
a number of electronic control modu les for various vehicle systems
such as, for example, engine function, emission control, as well as for
the airbags and safety belts.
T hese electronic contro l modules also record vehicle-re lated data
during normal vehicle operation for diagnostic and repair purposes .
Th e recording capacity of the e lectronic control modu les is limited to
data (no sound is recorded) and only a sma ll amount of data is actu­
ally recorded over a very limited period of time and stored when a
system fault or other condition is sensed by a control unit. Some of
the data then stored may relate to vehicle speed, direction, braking
as well as restraint system use and performance in the event of a
crash or other condition. Stored data can only be read and down­
loaded with special equipment.
Electronic Stabilization Program
(ESP)
General information
The ESP improves the vehicle stability.
N
-. ...
~
I ' I A I ~ )
--
Fig. 234 Center
console with ESP
switch
ESP is des igned to help you maintain vehicle control in s ituations
where the car approaches the limits of "grip", especia lly when accel­
erat ing and cornering. ESP reduces the risk of skidd ing and imp roves
stability under all road conditions.
Th e system operates across the entire speed range in combination
with the ABS system. If the Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) malfunc­
tions, the ESP will also shut down.
How the system works
The Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS), Electronic Differential Lock (EDL)
and the Anti-Slip Regulation System (ASR) are integrated in the elec­
tronic stabilizatio n pro gram. In addition to the data provided by
these funct ions, the ESP control unit requires additional measure­
ment data provided by high performance sensors. The rotational
speed of the vehicle about its vertical axis, the lateral acceleration ...

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acting on the vehicle, the brake pressure and the steering angle are
all meas ured.
The direction in which the driver wishes to travel is determined with
the aid of the steering angle and vehicle speed and is continually
compared with the actual behavior of the vehicle. If the two do not
match, for example , when the vehicle starts hydroplaning on a wet
road, ESP will automatically brake the appropriate wheel to correct
the problem.
The vehicle is then stabi lized by the forces acting on the whee l during
braking. If the vehicle is
oversteering (rear tends to skid out of the
turn), the brakes are main ly applied on the wheel that is on the
outs ide of the curve. In the case of a vehicle that is
understeering
(tendency to slide out of the curve), the brakes are applied at the rear
wheel that is on the inside of the curve. An acoustic signal ind icates
when ESP brake application cuts in =>
&.
Th e system operates across the entire speed range in combination
with the ABS system=>
page 256. If the Anti-Lock Brake System
(ABS) malfunctions, the ESP will be out of action as we ll.
Activation
When you turn on the engine, ESP will automatically be activated and
will perform a self-test .
The system can be activated or deactivated by pressing the button
=>
page 252, fig. 234 . The warning light comes on when the system
is switched off=>
page 16.
Normally, the ESP should always be on, however, it may be advanta­
geous to turn off the sys tem in certain special cases when some
degree of whee l spin is desired such as:
• when driving with snow chains
• when driving in deep snow or on a loose surface (to allow the
wheels to dig in to reach firm ground)
• when trying to "roc k" the vehicle free when it has become stuck.
The system should be reactivated once you are no longer in such situ­
ations.
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Both the ABS and
EDS systems are still functioning even if the ESP is
switched off.
& WARNING
The Electroni c Stabilization Program is nevertheless subject to the
laws of physics. It is particularly important to pay attention to
this fact on wet and slippery roads. It is therefore important that
you always adapt your driving to the condition of the road and
traffic conditions. Do not allow the increased safety provided by
the Electronic Stabilization Program system to lull you into
accepting additional safety risks. •
Electronic differential lock (EDL)
The electronic differential lock monitors the rotational
speed of the drive wheels.
General notes
The electronic differential lock (EDL) helps the car to start moving,
acce lerate and climb a gradient on surfaces providing poor or almost
no grip . Without EDL, this would be difficult, if not impossible .
How the system works
The EDL operates automatically. It monitors the rotational speed of
the drive wheels on an axle with the he lp of the ABS sensors
=>
page 256 . If a noticeable difference in rotational speed between
the drive wheels on one axle is detected (e .g . on slippery ground
on
one side),
the spinning wheel is braked, thereby transferring power to
the other drive whee l or wheels (all -wheel drive). This is done up to a
speed of about 60 mph (100 km/h) . Noises from the brake system
signal that wheel spin is being contro lled.
Driving off
When driving off, always be sure to keep road conditions in mind as
you accelerate. If one drive wheel spins because it is on a surface with
less grip , gradually increase the pressure on the accelerator peda l
Iii>
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Intelligent technology
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until the car starts to move . The whee l less ab le to transfer power
spins .
Overheating of brakes
To prevent the disc b rake of the bra ked wheel from ove rhea ting if
subjected to excessive loads, the EDL cuts out temporarily . The
veh icle remains operat ional and beh aves in the same way as a vehicle
without EDL .
As soon as the brake has coo led down, EDL switches on again auto­
matically .
& WARNING
• When a ccelerating on slippery surfaces, such as on ice or snow,
alw ay s be careful when depre ssing the a ccelerator pedal. E ven
with the EDL working, the drive wheel s can spin and reduce your
ability to control your car . Risk of crash !
• The in creased safety afforded by EDL does not mean that you
can take safety ri sks. Always adapt your driving st yle to the road
condition s and traffic situation .
fi Tips
If a fault occurs i n the ABS, the EDL is also no t fu nct ion ing . This is
indicated by the ABS warning light~
page 19. •
Anti-Slip Regulation System (ASR)
The Anti-Slip Regulati on System prevents the driven
wheels from spinning when the car is a ccel erating.
General notes
T he Anti-S lip Regulation System (ASR) is integrated in the electronic
stabilization program (ESP). When the veh icle starts up and acceler­
ates , the wheels are p reve nted from sp inning by adjust ing the eng ine
powe r to match t he amo unt of grip avai lab le from the road s urface.
How the system works
ASR perfo rms au toma tica lly, i .e . witho ut the drive r's in tervent ion .
With the aid of the A BS sensors~
page 256, ASR monitors the speed
of the driven wheels . If the wheels start to spin, the engine powe r is
reduced automat ically u nti l the t ires find enough gr ip to lock onto
the road s urface. The system is active across the entire speed range.
Th e ASR wor ks in con ju nction with the A BS .
If a m alfu nction sho uld
occur in the ABS, the ASR w ill also be out of action.
& WARNING
The increased safety afforded by ASR does not mean that you can
take safety ri sks . Always adapt your driving style to the road
condit ions and traffic situation.
[ i ] Tips
To ensure that the ASR works prope rly, all four wheels must be fitted
w ith ident ic a l ti res Any differences in rollin g radius of the tires can
cause the system to reduce engine power when t his is not desired .
See also ~
page 318, "N ew t ires and replacing tires and whee ls" .•
Braking
General Information
What affects b raking efficiency ?
Operating cond itions and driving habits
Th e bra kes on t oday's automo biles are still subjec t to we ar,
depending large ly on operating conditions a nd driving habits~ &.
O n ve hicles tha t are eithe r driven mostly in stop- and-go city t raff ic or
are drive n hard, the brake pads should be checked by your author ized
Audi de aler more o ften than specified in the
Warranty & Mainte­
nance booklet .
Failure to have your brake pads i nspected can result
in re duced brake pe rformance. .,

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On steep s lopes , you shou ld use the brak ing effect of t he e ngine. This
w ay, y ou p revent unne ce ss ary we ar o n t he bra ke sys te m . If you mus t
use your brakes , do not ho ld the brakes down conti nuously . Pump the
bra kes at intervals.
Moisture or road salt
Under cer ta in c on di tions, for ex ample, when drivin g thr ough w at er or
very heavy rain, or e ve n after was hing your veh icle, the braking effect
c an be re duced due to moi st ur e (o r in freezi ng condi tio ns ice) o n the
bra ke pads . A few care ful b rake app lica tions should dry off the bra ke
pads or
remove any ice coatings .
Th e effec tiveness of the bra ke s ca n be re d uced whe n the vehicle is
driven on a salt-covered road and the brakes are not used . He re too,
yo u sh ould clean off a ccumula ted sa lt c oat ing from brake disc s and
pads with a few caref ul app lications of the brake::::;,&.
Corrosion
The re may be a tendency fo r dirt to build up on the bra ke pads and
cor ro si on t o fo rm on the di scs if t he c ar is not driven re gularly or o nly
for short t rips w ith litt le use of the bra kes.
If the bra kes are not used fre quent ly, o r if corrosion ha s fo rme d on
t he d iscs, i t is advisable to clean off t he pads and d is cs by bra king
fi rm ly a few t imes from a mo derately high speed ::::;,& .
Faults in the brake system
If yo u shou ld no tice a sudden in cre ase in b rake ped al t ravel, t hen one
o f t he two brake circ uits may have failed::::;,&.
Low brake fluid level
Malfunctions can occ ur in the brake system if the brake fluid level is
t o o low. The bra ke f lui d level is mon itored e lectroni cally.
Brake lining wear status
Brak e lining we ar may be checked by v isual inspec tio n o f the condi­
tion of the brake pads throug h the openings in the wheel. If neces­
sa ry, t he wheel m ay be re m oved f or this in spection ::::;,
page 335,
"C hanging a w hee l" .
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING
•
You should perform braking maneuvers for the purpose of
cleaning the brake system only if road condition s permit. Other
road users must not be put at risk -you may cause an accident!
• Before descending a steep grade, reduce speed and shift trans ­
mission into a lower gear or lower driving range. Do not ride the
brakes or hold the pedal down too long or too often. This could
cause the brakes to get hot and diminish braking efficiency.
• Do not "ride the brakes " by resting your foot on the pedal when
you do not intend to brake. This may cause the brakes to overheat,
premature wear and increased stopping di stan ce.
• Under certain climatic and operating conditions such as
passing through water, driving in heavy rain or after washing the
vehicle, the effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced. In winter,
ice can accumulate on the brake pads , linings, discs and drums .
Carefully apply brakes for a test . Brakes will dry and ice coatings
will be cleaned off after a few careful brake applications.
• Driving for an extended period of time on salt-covered roads
without using your brakes can also affect braking efficiency. Clean
off accumulated salt coating from brake discs and pads with a few
careful brake applications.
• If you damage the front spoiler, or if you install a different
spoiler, be sure the air flow to the front brakes is not obstructed.
Otherwise the brake system could overheat reducing the effective­
ness of the entire brake system .
• Failure of one brake circuit will impair the braking capability
resulting in an increased stopping di stance . Avoid driving the
vehicle and have it towed to the nearest Audi dealer or qualified
workshop .•
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

lillill.a._...:I:..: n~ t .::.e::::..::.: ll~igent technology ,_ _______________________________________ _
Brake booster
The brake booster adds extra braking power.
The brake booster works with vacuum pressure which is created on ly
w hen the eng ine is ru nn ing =>& .
& WARNING
• Nev er let the vehicle roll to a stop w ith the engine shut off.
• If the brake booster is n ot working , for e xample when towing
your vehicle, or because the brake booster has som ehow been
damaged , the brake pedal must be pressed conside rably harder to
make up for the lack of booster assistan ce. •
Functioning of Anti-Lock Brake System
(ABS)
A BS prevents the wheels fr om locking up under braking.
The ABS co ntributes effectively to ve hicle contro l s i nee it preve nts the
w heels from
locking when the brakes a re applied. T his means that the
vehicle remains steerable and is less likely to skid .
With ABS you do not need to pump the brake. Just hold the brake
pedal down.
However, do not expect the A BS to shorten brak ing distance under all
circumstances. When driving on grave l o r on newly fa llen snow on top
of icy su rfaces, b raking distance may be even longer, therefore, under
these circumstances, it is especially important that you drive slowly
and w ith great care.
How the ABS system works
An automatic check is made w hen a speed of abo ut 4 mph (6 km/h) is
reached . When this happens, a pumping noise can be heard . If a
n ind iv idua l wheel begins to rotate too slow ly in relat ion to ve hicle
speed and tends to lo ck, the ABS automat ically redu ces bra ke pres ­
su re to p revent t hat wheel from lock ing.
Th is automatic adjustment process wi ll cause a
slight vib ration of
t he bra ke pedal and so me noises to al er t you tha t vehicle s peed mus t
be adapted to existing road and traff ic conditions.
& WARNING
Although the ABS is very effective, always remember that braking
capability is limited by tir e traction. Always adjust your driving
speed acco rding to the road and traffic conditions. Do not let the
extra safety afforded by the ABS tempt you into taking extra ri sks .
The ABS cannot ove rcome the laws of physics.
[I) Tips
• If ABS is not funct ioning properly, a warning light will come on.
See=>
page 19.
• If a fa ult occ urs in the ABS, the ED L is also not functioning . This is
ind icated by the A BS warn ing ligh t.•
Brake assistant
T he brake assistant is designed to achi eve the optimum
b ra king effect.
The b rake ass istant helps to i ncrease the effective brak ing power and
thus to achieve a shorter stopping distance. If the driver p resses the
bra ke pedal
very quickly, the brake assistan t automatically boosts t he
brak ing fo rce to the maximum level, up to the po int where the anti­
lo ck bra ke f un ct ion (ABS) intervenes to stop the whee ls from locking.
You shou ld then keep the brake pedal pressed unt il the ve hicle has
bra ked to t he required s peed . T he bra ke ass ist ant sw itches itse lf off
as soon as you re lease the brake pedal. ._

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The brake assistant will not be operative if there is a malfunct io n in
t he ABS.
& WARNING
Plea se remember that the accident ri sk a lwa ys increa se s if you
d riv e too fast , especially in corne rs or on a slippery road , or if you
follow the vehi cle ahead of you too closely . In cre ased ri sk of an
accident cannot be compensated for e ven by the brake ass istant,
so always maintain a safe speed. •
Servotronic® - advanced power
steering system
The power steering systems uses th e power of the
running engine to allow precise steering with little effort.
Th e advanced Servotronic ® power steeri ng system senses the road
speed and electronically ad justs power assistance to provide
c omfortable and safe s teer ing response exa ctly matched to the
vehicle speed.
Powe r steering will not work if the engi ne is of f. As a resu lt, the
steer ing wheel will be hard to turn .
The power stee ring fluid level is checked during the sched uled main­
t enance se rvi ces.
0 Note
If the re is an ele ct roni c mal func tion, servotroni c will still f unction
like a conventional power steer ing system, prov iding a constant
steeri ng support force tha t is no lo nger propo rt iona te to the ve hicle
speed. This is most not iceab le when turn ing the steer ing wheel at low
speeds (for example when parking), -more effort will be required
than usual.
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
•
Be aware of the d ifferent than usual steering response and adjust
your stee rin g for ce acco rdi ng ly.
• Have the prob lem checked and set r ight by an A udi dea ler as soon
as possib le.
[ i ] Tips
• Whe n the eng ine is runni ng, neve r hold t he steering w hee l turned
all the way to the right or to t he left for longer than 15 seconds. The
powe r stee ring pump wi ll over heat the hydra ulic fluid if yo u keep
holding the steeri ng w heel tur ned all the way. This is likely to damage
the power steering system .
• If the power stee ring system shou ld fa il entire ly, or if the engine
is not r unning (fo r examp le, while being towed), you w ill still be a ble
to steer the vehicle. However,
considerably more effo rt will be
req uired to do so .
• If the power steering system s hou ld have a lea k, or is not func­
tioning properly, contact your authorized Au di dea ler immediate ly .
• The power steering system requ ires a specially formulated
hydra ulic fl uid. The power stee ring re se rvoir is t he one located mos t
forward o n the left side of the eng ine compa rtment=:>
page 290 . The
correct fluid leve l in the reservoir is important fo r proper f unctioning
of t he power steering. •
Dr"ving with your quattro®
With All Whee l Drive, all four wheels are driven .
General information
With All Wheel Drive, power is d istributed to all four wheels. This
happens au tom atically depending on you r d rivi ng style a nd the roa d
conditions at the time. See also=>
page 253, "Electronic different ial
lock (ED L)".
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Intelligent technology
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W inter tires
When d riving in the winter, your vehicle with A ll Whee l Drive has an
advantage, even with reg ula r tir es . In wi nter road cond it ions i t may
be advisab le to mount w inte r tires (or all-season tires) for imp roved
dr iveabili ty and braking: these tires m ust be mounted on
all four
wheels .
See also => page 323, "Winter tires".
Tire chains
Whe re tire chains are mandato ry on certa in roads, this normally also
applies to veh icles with A ll Whee l Drive=>
page 324, "Snow chains ".
Replacing wheels/tires
Veh icles with All Wheel Drive m ust always have t ires of the same size.
Also avoid tires with different trea d de pths . For details see page
=>
page 318, " N ew tires and replac ing tires a nd wheels" .
Off-Road driving?
Your Audi does not have enough ground clearance to be used as a n
off -road vehi cle. It is the re fore best to avoid ro ug h trac ks and uneven
ter rain as muc h as poss ib le. Also re fer to=>
page 263 .
& WARNING
Always adjust your dri ving to road and traffic conditions. Do not
let the extra safety afforded by All Wheel Drive tempt you into
taking ex tra risks.
• Although the All Wheel Drive is very effective, always
remember that braking capacity is l imited by tire traction. You
should therefore not drive at exce ssive speeds on icy or slippery
road surfaces.
• On wet road surfa ce s, be careful not to drive too fast because
the front wheels could begin to slide on top of the water (aqua­
planing ). If this should occur, you will have no warning from a
sudden increase in engine speed as with a front-wheel drive
vehicle. Always drive at speeds which are suited to the road condi­
tions - risk of crash. •
Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
Energy m ana gemen t con tr ols the distributi on of elec­
trical ener gy an d thu s optimiz es the ava ila bility of elec­
t ri cal ene rgy f or starting the en gine.
If a vehicle w ith a convent iona l energy system is not driven for a long
pe riod of time, t he b att ery is di sch arged by idling current con sumers
(e .g. immob ilize r). In certain c ircumstances it can result i n there
be ing insuffi cien t energy avai lab le to s tar t the engine.
I n te lligent e ne rgy management in yo ur vehicle ha ndles the dist ribu­
tion of e lectrical energy . Starting ab ility is ma rkedly improved and
t he life of the battery is extended.
Basically, energy management consists of
battery diagnosis , idling
current management
a nd dynamic energy management .
Battery diagnosis
Batte ry diagnosis co nti nu ously deter mi nes the s tate of the batte ry .
Sensors determine battery vo ltage, battery current and battery
t empe rature. This determines the cur rent sta te of charge and the
power of the battery.
Idling current management
Id ling current management red uces energy consumpt ion while the
veh icle is s tanding. W it h t he ignition swi tched off, it con trol s the
energy supply to the var ious electrica l components. Data from
b attery di ag nos is is conside red .
Depe nding on the batte ry 's state of charge, individ ua l consumers a re
gradually t urne d off to prevent excessive discha rge of the batte ry an d
t hus main tain sta rting capabili ty .
Dynamic energy management
W hile the vehicle is being driven, dynamic energy management
dis trib utes the energy generated acco rding to the nee ds o f the indi -•