More details on the Audi e-tron: the electric SUV that charges in 30 minutes

Audi confirms a range of more than 400 km on the WLTP homologation cycle for its new electric SUV, the Audi e-tron, as well as the ability to use high-power charging stations, which would allow a journey to be continued in just 30 minutes.

The electric offensive of Audi continues. The first fully electric car from Audi, based on the Audi e-tron prototype that we saw at the Geneva Motor Show, is just around the corner. Interested customers can already register to be among the first to buy one, and deliveries will begin in early 2019. But for the time being, Audi has yet to reveal the definitive technical specifications or the price of its new electric SUV.

This information will emerge little by little. And as an appetiser, Audi have confirmed some of the most important details regarding the range and the possibilities and charging times of the e-tron. They did so with a spectacular setup, with the electric SUV on the high-voltage test bench at the Siemens factory in Berlin. Here, the Audi e-tron was subjected to the effects of a “Faraday cage”, with discharges on the roof of the car simulating the capture of lightning energy, to highlight the ultra-fast charging possibilities of the Audi e-tron at a high-power charging point.

More than 400 km of range and charging at up to 150 kW

The more than 500 km of range that Audi announced for the Audi e-tron prototype, on which the production version is based, has been reduced to more than 400 km under the new WLTP homologation cycle, which is much more realistic than the previous one. Not bad at all for an electric car with a power of up to 500 CV in “boost” mode for maximum acceleration, and with genuinely sporty performance. Even so, it falls short of what is currently its main rival, the new Jaguar i-Pace, which claims a range of 480 km on the same homologation cycle.

Where Audi takes the lead, however, is in battery charging. The e-tron’s charging options will allow the electric SUV to be recharged from a conventional industrial power socket with 11 kW and 400 volts in 8.5 hours, a time that would be reduced to 4.5 hours with a 22 kW socket if the car is fitted with the optional charging system, which includes a second on-board charger.

And during a journey, the Audi e-tron will be able to make the most of the potential of the Ionity network, which by the end of 2018 will already have 200 high-power charging stations, with ambitious plans to double that figure by 2020 and thus have charging points at intervals of less than 150 km on the main European routes. Here, the Audi e-tron will be the first car to reach the market that can be charged at up to 150 kW, which means that in just 30 minutes the electric SUV will be ready to continue the journey.

Audi has also developed new services for its future electric models. The myAudi app will allow you to plan a journey so that the navigation system takes into account charging points and even traffic and the time needed to charge the batteries when calculating the total journey time. The smart charging functions will allow charging at home at the maximum output power the installation allows, taking into account the demand of household devices that are consuming electricity at any given moment.

Systems will also be implemented to use charging points wirelessly, with individual contracts billed through the myAudi portal and automatic recognition of the vehicle at the charging point, without even needing a card.

Image gallery Audi e-tron prototype