Audi has revealed charging details of its forthcoming e-tron EV, with the all-electric SUV quoted at being able to complete 249 miles on a single charge.
Those figures are based on the WLTP driving cycle, which is more demanding than the official NEDC figures, and therefore a little more accurate in terms of real-world range.
Audi also says it will be the first production model on the market that can charge at 150 kW from an ultra-rapid charger, which will keep charging times for the 95 kWh battery similar to existing rapids – though those slower 50 kW units charge far smaller batteries.
Using the CCS charging standard, the e-tron will be able to make good use of the expanding IONITY ultra-rapid charging network beginning to spread out across Europe. For more conventional charging speeds, Audi is offering a standard 11 kW on-board charger for the e-tron, though 22 kW will be available as an option, for fast charging.
Bringing with it the inevitable comparisons with Tesla – with the Model S and Model X both able can charge at more than 100 kW on the company’s supercharger network and AC fast charging at 22 kW – Audi will also roll-out similar charging procedures.
Audi is looking to simplify access to public charge points with its myAudi portal, where customers have one card to access charge points, registered to a single account. However, from 2019, Audi is looking to implement Plug & Charge, which sees the car authorise and unlock the charge point without any need for an RFID card or similar, with the billing carried out automatically – in a similar manner to Tesla’s set-up.
The Audi e-tron is due in the UK towards the end of 2018, and will rival the likes of the Jaguar I-Pace and Tesla Model X in the premium SUV EV market.
