Recently Audi unveiled the production version of its first mass-produced electric car Audi E-Tron SUV. In the past, we had heard about the Audi E-Tron saying that the E-Tron will offer super-efficient regenerative braking, all-wheel drive, one-stop-shop charging services and support for up to 150 kilowatts of DC quick charging. In this post, we are going to examine this car on its own merits.
Things to Know About Audi E-Tron
Engine
The Audi E-Tron SUV is powered by a pair of electric motors one for each axle, the largest motor is in the rear rated at 140 kilowatts of output with an additional 25 kilowatts extra power available for boost mode operation with the front motor just a little smaller 125 kilowatts with an additional 10 kilowatts of boost mode power. Interestingly the Audi E-Tron prefers rear-wheel drive operation everyday driving switching on its front motor as and when needed but when they do operate together they produce about 300 kilowatts that gives a stoplight sprint time of around 5.5 seconds. That is slower than some electric cars out there but a lot faster than most gasoline SUVs including the Audi Q7 3.0 TFSI Quattro. The Audi E-Tron is not the fastest when it comes to overall top speed, it’s limited at 124 mph which is going to be fine for most markets but may disappointing to some German Autobahn.
Regenerative Braking System
The Audi E-Tron has the most efficient regenerative braking system than any electric car. It is capable of recuperating far more than 90% of all kinetic energy under braking, Audi says that it all but eliminates the use of the friction brakes. According to the recent news, the journalists who drive down the famous Pikes Peak Highway in Colorado of 12.4 miles, the Audi E-Tron added nearly 7 kWh of power back to the battery pack.
Design
There are three digital LCD displays one for a traditional with Dash Analog dials other is for central touchscreen infotainment system and below one focusing on climate control, talking about the seats, the five adults can easily seat in the Audi E-Tron. The only thing that really sets the Audi E-Tron apart from the rest of the Audi family to date is the use of sideview cameras and doors in a place of traditional sideview mirrors called virtual side mirrors by Audi. These cameras relay what they see to a small OLED panel inside each front door, they’re a little lower than a traditional sideview mirror would be but they do have some significant advantages. The side view cameras help to increase the battery range of vehicle since they allow air to pass and it’s important for aerodynamics. The side view cameras will be a 1400-euro upgrade option for European customers. In the US, the Audi will ship with mirrors that are standard because the side view cameras are not legal in US.
Price
The Audi E-Tron is not going to be cheap, In the US, it will start from $74800 or equivalent for the premium plus model while the prestige model will add another $7000 to the price. The range-topping Edition one will retail from $86700 or equivalent and of course it will include all of the bells and whistles you’d expect from a premium mark including seat massaging, premium sound syste, driver assistance tech and much more.
Battery Pack
The Audi E-Tron has 95 kWh lithium-ion battery pack which like the Jaguar I-Pace uses pouch cells arranged in modules, there are 36 modules in each pack and all in all the weight of the battery pack is just over 1500 pounds. Battery pack also has active thermal management using heat conductive gel, heat transfer plate and full liquid cooling system to keep the battery pack at just the right temperature. The battery pack is made of fully integrated aluminium crash structure that’s been designed to help keep individual modules safe in the event of an accident, it’s a clever lattice structure which should transfer any impact forces around the battery pack.
Capable of operating at both 120 and 240 volts where applicable, it can provide a total of 9.6 kilowatts when paired with a suitable connection such as a NEMA 14-50 in the US. On top of this Audi has partnered with Amazon to offer a home charging service that allows customers to order and have installed a charging station for their Audi E-Tron.
These motors and battery pack work together to give a quoted range of 400 kilometres which is just under 250 miles given the size of the battery pack in the vehicle. The Audi E-Tron has next-generation CCS charge capabilities that allow it to charge its battery pack to 80% full in just under half an hour at a blistering rate of 150 kilowatts that makes the E-Tron the fastest charging electric car out there although Audi isn’t investing in its own charging infrastructure instead it’s working with partners like IONITY in Europe and Electrify America which of course is part of its parent company Volkswagen to ensure that customers can charge at 150 kilowatts as easily as possible. Audi is also following the lead of some other automakers and including a portable charge cable that is far more powerful than some we’ve seen in the past.
Availability
you can put a deposit down on the Audi E-Tron now for $1000 or equivalent but when you get the car does rather depend on where you live. Europe will start seeing the Audi E-Tron on the road from early 2019 although that will only be first edition models while US customers will have to wait until later next year to get their hands on, full model availability is likely to not happen until the end of 2019.
Single Statement Conclusion
The biggest highlights of Audi E-Tron are the battery pack safety and that superfast charger rate and biggest criticism is the price.
