The Strategist

Audi reveals its first electric SUV



09/18/2018 - 16:34



Audi introduced its first electric SUV E-Tron, which will compete with Tesla Model X. The electric car will cost from 80 thousand euro and will be available in Europe in late 2018.



audi
audi
The public premiere of Audi E-Tron SUV, the first serial electric vehicle of the brand, will take place in San Francisco. For the first time, Audi announced its intention to launch the electric car at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2015, showing the concept Audi E-Tron Quattro. Since then, much has changed.

The serial SUV is built on the MLB Evo platform. The length of E-tron is 4091 mm, the width is 1935 mm, the height is 1616 mm, the wheelbase is 2928 mm. However, Audi’s electric SUV is still larger than its counterpart Mercedes-Benz EQC that debuted a couple of weeks ago (4761/1884/1624 mm, wheelbase - 2873 mm). Coefficient of aerodynamic resistance of E-tron is 0,28 against 0,34 in Audi Q8 (Mercedes has not yet revealed this indicator).

E-Tron is driven by two asynchronous electric motors, one on each axis. The power section reaches 408 horsepower in total. The car accelerates up to 100 km in about 6 seconds.

Energy consumption of Audi E-Tron’s battery is 95 kWh. It consists of 36 modules, located under the floor, and its mass is 700 kg. E-Tron is capable of driving up to 400 km on one charge. The battery can be charged both from the usual household network, and from three-phase. In the first case, full charging will take more than 20 hours, in the second - about eight and a half.

E-Tron is equipped with virtual rear-view mirrors. The image is displayed on special touchscreens located on the front door panels just above the handle. In total, there are five displays in the E-Tron cabin.

The car is equipped with a braking energy recovery system. The electro-hydraulic braking system works in conjunction with electric motors and allows getting up to 30% of the power needed to drive electricity during braking. To increase the power reserve, there is a thermoregulation system that uses secondary energy sources to heat the car and maintain optimum temperature regime of the batteries.

The electric car also received a pneumatic suspension, allowing drivers to choose one of seven options for its settings, as well as flexibly vary the ground clearance depending on the coating under the wheels. E-tron is able to independently adjust the suspension, focusing on the sensors.

Audi E-Tron is the third electric SUV from premium brands in 2018. In March, Jaguar showed I-Pace, and in August Mercedes revealed the EQC. All of them, including Audi E-Tron, will compete with Tesla Model X, which has been sold since 2016.

By 2025, Audi is going to expand the range of its electric models E-tron to 12 cars. Hatchback Audi e-tron Sportback will follow Audi E-tron SUV, and then the company will produce electric vehicles of different classes to cover all segments.

Audi noted that the new MEB platform, developed by Volkswagen, will form the basis of the forthcoming electric vehicles. A number of models will be built on the platform of electric vehicles Porsche. Recall, the first serial electromotor Audi - SUV E-tron - has been presented in the USA on September, 18th.

source: theverge.com