MOTORING
You can’t fail to have noticed the number of battery-powered cars appearing on our roads.
But cars which are purely powered by electric from a battery are increasingly popular -
and one of the latest to arrive is the Audi e-tron. Graham Courtney takes a closer look...
ELECTRIC
SHOCK
Audi e-tron FACTFILE
T
his is Audi’s first all-electric car…and it’s
a belter.
Depending on your preference for styling,
whereas some electric cars are given a rather
unique appearance (think Nissan Leaf)
the Audi e-tron fits fair and square into
traditional Audi styling.
To be honest, it looks like a sleeker
version of the Audi Q7. Which, of course, is
precisely what Audi wants to achieve. They
want the e-tron to appeal to buyers who
want the traditional Audi attributes of build
quality, driver enjoyment, performance and
premium interior but who are also looking
for a car that will be extremely economical
and, yes, kind to the environment.
Oh, and they’d rather not have something
which instantly makes you stand out as
driving an electric car.
£71,520 gets you into the Audi e-tron,
although the government's plug-in car grant
of £3,500 means you can knock a slice off
that amount.
No matter which e-tron you go for, you’ll
get air suspension included as standard,
along with quattro all-wheel drive. There’s
electronic climate control, which includes
remote preconditioning that allows you to
heat or cool the car before you enter to the
temperature you left it at.
There’s satnav, a cracking audio system
including DAB radio, a rear view camera and
360-degree parking sensors. It’s crammed
full of safety kit too.
If you upgrade to the Launch Edition
model you get leather front sports seats,
privacy glass, panoramic sunroof and
virtual door mirrors where cameras replace
conventional door mirrors and project an
image directly onto small LED screens.
What about the power plant? There’s
a large battery under the passenger floor
which, because of the low positioning,
actually helps the car handle really well.
Power is fed to a pair of electric motors…
one for each axle. A full charge will give you
a total range of close to 250 miles depending
on your driving style. The range will also
drop in cold, wintery weather.
If you have a special charging wall box at
home or work, the Audi e-tron will charge
from zero to 80% in about eight hours. If
you use a rapid charger such as those at local
authority car parks or motorway service
stations, you’ll get 80% in about 45 minutes.
For most people, the average journey to
work is about 15 miles, which equates to a
weekly commute of, say, 150 miles. Throw
in some shopping trips or a ride out over the
weekend and you should manage everything
on a single charge. At current rates, that
will cost you about £3. Not bad for a week’s
motoring.
Plug the e-tron into your charger on a
Price From £71,520
Engine
Battery-powered
electric motors
Power 402 bhp
0-60 5.7 seconds
Top speed 124 mph
Range 248 miles (estimated)
Sunday night and you’re ready for a further
week of commuting. Longer journeys require
a bit of planning but, if you’re driving for 250
miles you need a break in any case, so grab a
coffee while you plug in the Audi. Simple.
Performance is excellent because you
have 100% power instantly. The two electric
motors develop 402bhp, working in tandem
if you use the Sport setting. This gives you
a lively 0-60mph time of 5.7 seconds. Audi
could have made it quicker but they preferred
to err on the side of sensible range rather
than outright performance. Top speed is
124mph.
The ride is great and the handling is
spot on. Remember, this is a big car, but it’s
surprisingly agile. You also drive along in
near silence.
The Audi e-tron is terrific. It’s a real-world
electric car that will get you from Teesside
to Manchester and back for around £3.
Once you get into the routine of charging
the e-tron, you’ll wonder why everyone isn’t
driving one.
tees-life.co.uk
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