With the Q6 e-tron1, Audi is not only starting a new chapter in electric mobility but also in an important part of Audi’s DNA: lighting technology. With the world’s first active digital light signature, the Audi Q6 e-tron1 ushers in a new era characterized by design and aesthetics that are unique to Audi.
The second generation of innovative digital OLED technology not only shapes the appearance of new Audi models but also increases the range of functions many times over. This furtherbenefits road safety, as the communication light of the digital OLED rear lights 2.0 impressively demonstrates. Customization also reaches new standards in the Audi Q6 e-tron1: With – depending on the equipment – up to eight digital light signatures in the redesigned daytime running lights of the Matrix LED headlights and in the digital OLED rear lights 2.0, customers can customize the appearance of their Q6 e-tron1 like never before. Six further signatures with Coming Home and Leaving Home staging coordinated with the respective digital light signature are available as optional packages. This is possible via the MMI and, for the first time, via the myAudi app. The digital light signatures and Matrix LED functions can also be added for the LED headlights plus after the vehicle has been purchased.
Signature and movement come together for the first time: the active digital light signature
Headlights and rear lights that look alive at first glance: this is how customers can imagine the active digital light signature, a world first from the Four Rings. They are part of the optional digital light signature package. “In the Audi Q6 e-tron1, we are designing not only the shape of the light but also its entire movement for the first time in a series-production vehicle. Thanks to the perfect symbiosis between our lighting design and new technology, the light in the new Audi Q6 e-tron1 appears more lively and intelligent than ever before. We have given the light signature its own personality and at the same time given the digital world its own aesthetic,” explains César Muntada, Head of Lighting Design. “With the world premiere of the active digital light signature, the Q6 e-tron model series is ushering in a new era, characterized by unique design and aesthetics that only Audi can offer.”
A software module in one of the domain computers of the Audi Q6 e-tron1 makes this form of light signature possible. In the case of the second-generation digital OLED rear lights, six OLED panels with a total of 360 segments generate a new image every ten milliseconds using a specially developed algorithm. In this way, the active digital light signature conveys the liveliness and personal interaction of the car by making the “brain activity” of the Q6 e-tron1 visible through constant movement. At the front, the active digital light signature is created by the interaction of the algorithm with twelve segments that dim up and down. At the rear, all digital OLED segments are used for this purpose. The individual light segments interact in such a way that the overall brightness of the light signature does not vary.
The second generation of digital OLED technology
“Audi recognized the potential for the use of OLED technology in rear lights early on and is the only car manufacturer to consistently develop and digitalize this lighting technology. As a result, we can now offer our customers a constant stream of new lighting functions,” says Stephan Berlitz, Head of Lighting Development, making it clear that there is a strategy behind the use of this technology. “Digital OLEDs are more efficient, lighter, and more homogeneous than conventional lighting systems,” he continues, offering a glimpse into the future: “Thanks to their high contrast, they will gradually become exterior displays and thus an essential enabler for communication with the surroundings. With the proximity detection function, we have been interacting with other road users through light since 2020. In the Audi Q6 e-tron1, the communication light has now been added to further increase safety.”
The second-generation digital OLED combination rear lights in detail
With the next generation of digital OLEDs in the rear lights of the Audi Q6 e-tron1, Audi is significantly expanding the range of functions, the degree of freedom in design, and, above all, safety for road users. For the first time, the digital OLED rear lights can communicate with the immediate surroundings (car-to-x). The number of segments per digital OLED panel has increased from six to 60 over the first generation. In total, six OLED panels with a total of 360 segments are used in the rear lights of the Q6 e-tron1. The new E3 1.2 electronic architecture makes it possible to control this significantly increased number of segments via a dedicated software module on one of the domain computers. The steady increase in the number of segments per digital OLED panel will enable the combination rear light to be developed into a display that further improves car-to-x communication and road safety.
The innovative digital OLED technology not only creates the conditions for a completely new rear light design but also ensures unique homogeneity and very high contrast in the display. A further advantage: The surface light source does not require any additional reflectors, light guides, or other optics and is, therefore, very efficient. Together, these properties allow engineers and designers to finally break down the boundaries between two- and three-dimensionality in design: The Four Rings create three-dimensional shapes on two-dimensional surfaces. In addition to an expressively integrated LED light strip at the rear, 3D glass creates a successful separation between the rear light signature and the other lighting functions.
Audi is also taking an innovative approach at the front of the vehicle. The next generation of digital daytime running lights and the light modules are now arranged separately from each other, which creates more clarity in the design. The designers have created the individual LEDs of the new evolutionary stage in digital daytime running lights – 70 in total – as transparent 3D objects. The front section of the digital daytime running light is fitted with a precise prismatic structure, while metalized 3D trim surrounds the daytime running light to draw the viewer’s focus to the vehicle’s digital eyes.
More safety thanks to intelligent headlights and rear lights
Audi has also taken the safety functions to a new level. The proximity detection system already familiar from other Audi models has been expanded to include the communication light in the Audi Q6 e-tron1. It warns other road users of accidents and breakdowns. For this purpose, the communication light displays a specific static rear light signature with integrated warning symbols in the digital OLED combination rear light alongside the regular rear light graphics in critical driving or traffic situations. This assistance system not only supports Audi drivers but also all other road users. As with the extended traffic information, which warns of accidents or dangerous situations in the Audi A8 thanks to digitalized headlights, the communication light also draws its data from the swarm. In addition, the second generation of digital OLED rear lights activates the communication light with warning symbols for Emergency Assist, for the RECAS (Rear-end collision alert signal), when the hazard warning flashes, during an emergency call (eCall), during a breakdown call (bCall) and when the emergency stop lights are flashing.
The communication light also gives the exit warning system an additional dimension. Previously, it only informed the occupants of the vehicle when they got out, for example, when other road users were approaching. The warning symbol of the communication light, which lights up within the rear light graphic, now also warns road users approaching from the rear. The Audi Q6 e-tron1 thus integrates others into its safety concept and increases road safety for everyone.
The communication light also uses a specific light signature at the front and rear to indicate the status of the vehicle’s parking assistant when it is in an automated parking process. This makes it clear to road users in the immediate vicinity that the vehicle is in a safe state.
A new level of freedom: the digital light signatures in the MMI and the myAudi app
With eight digital light signatures for the Matrix LED headlights and the digital OLED rear lights 2.0, drivers can personalize their Q6 e-tron* in a completely new way. There are two options for selecting a signature – via the myAudi app or directly in the vehicle via the MMI. A specially designed Coming Home and Leaving Home scenario is available for each digital light signature when leaving and unlocking the vehicle.
When using the myAudi app, customers can activate their personal light signatures from outside the vehicle and also experience the dynamic light staging directly on the vehicle, as well as the precisely tailored Coming Home and Leaving Home functions. The same applies to the communication light of the second-generation digital OLED rear lights and the proximity detection function. On request, the Matrix LED headlights can provide a live demonstration of the sign glare suppression and object masking features.
To enable customers to personalize their Q6 e-tron1 to an even greater extent, they can also add the digital light signature package to the LED headlights plus via Functions on Demand (FoD) after purchasing the vehicle, either permanently or only for a specified time.
The Matrix LED headlights and the digital OLED rear lights have eight digital light signatures as standard, allowing the Q6 e-tron1 to be customized according to personal preferences. It is also possible to purchase the high beam assistant and the Matrix package via Functions on Demand.
