Audi E-tron SUV enters volume production
Audi E-tron SUV production begins
The Audi E-tron SUV, the firm’s first full electric car, has gone into volume production at its factory in Brussels, Belgium.
The car, which is due to be revealed on 17 September, will feature a maximum power of 402bhp and torque of 490lb ft. With 0 to 62mph in under six seconds, it will have an top speed limited to 124mph.
The confirmation that the E-tron has gone into volume production comes on the same day that rival Mercedes-Benz will launch its EQC electric SUV.
The Audi E-tron is powered by a dual-motor powertrain using a 95kWh lithium ion battery. Capable of 150kW DC fast charging which is claimed as a world first and is 30kW more rapid than Tesla’s Supercharger network. Audi claims the car can charge in just 30 minutes.
The combined power of the car’s two motors is 350bhp, with 414lb ft of torque and a bonus boost mode that allows 402bhp for up to eight seconds.
The Audi E-tron’s regenerative braking system can recuperate up to 30% of the car’s total range. The car brakes using an electrohydraulic system for quicker responses, using additional pressure of a hydraulic piston. The system, Audi claims, can reduce braking distance by up to 20%.
Charging
Audi states that the E-tron can charge fully in 8.5 hours when connected to a 400V three-phase outlet at home. There are no charging details for a regular 230V household plug.
The E-tron will be badged 55 under Audi’s new naming system.
“We have decided to keep the e-tron name and use it like quattro,” an Audi source stated. “The first of our sporty models was simply named the Audi Quattro. Our first all-electric car will simply be badged Audi E-tron.”
The production Audi E-tron’s output is less than the 496bhp quoted for the two concepts previously shown. This is because those featured a three-motor powertrain with a single front motor and twin rear motors. This paves the way for Audi to introduce a performance E-tron powered by three motors later in its production run.
Audi won’t yet discuss sales numbers for the E-tron, but says it has test-marketed the SUV in two European countries. It reports potential demand for the model to be in the “double-digit thousands”.
The production E-tron is the first of three battery electric vehicles (BEVs) that Audi will launch by 2021.
E-tron models could also be sold on a monthly subscription that would allow buyers to switch between Audi models to suit particular driving demands. “We’re actively looking at every option,” said Schot.
Launch Price
Audi previously said the E-tron will “cost about the same as a well Audi A6”, pricing it at least £60,000. The Jaguar I-Pace is priced from £58,995.
Audi sales and marketing boss Dietmar Voggenreiter said that Audi has chosen to launch the E-tron in 2018 because battery technology is now mature enough to be able to offer range that’s usable in the real-world.
“A 400-500km range must be possible and we must have a fast charging infrastructure,” said Voggenreiter. “Both things are coming in 2018. The battery energy density is there and there’s already a lot of charging infrastructure in Europe, the US and Asia.”
Chicken and egg
Voggenreiter referred to the ‘chicken and egg’ situation of limited charging infrastructure to date; there has been no need for third parties to install chargers because there are not enough cars to use them, and vice versa. “No cars, no infrastructure, but in the next two years there will be lots of investments,” he added.
At the 2017 Audi Summit, suspended CEO Rupert Stadler stated: “It will have the best technology and be the most beautiful of electric cars.” Commenting on Audi’s electrified sales targets, he said: “By 2025, we will have 800,000 sales a year of electrified cars with electric cars and plug-in hybrids. Every third Audi will be electrified. All our production sites will be carbon neutral by 2030.”
