The Business Exchange Swindon & Wiltshire Edition 44: Aug/Sept 2019 | Page 33
REVVED UP
The Exciting New Audi e-tron EV
Whether we like it or not electricity will be the primary source of automotive
power and performance over the coming decade. It’s not the end of fossil fuels yet,
but electric vehicle technology is leaping forward and all manufacturers seem to
working towards an electric future and the German brand Audi is no exception.
The Audi e-tron is a very smart looking
SUV and is to be the forerunner of an
electric offensive by the company with no
less than twelve models expected by 2025.
First shown at the 2018 Geneva show the
e-tron is beginning to make its debut and is
available for order now. The special ‘Launch
Edition’ costs around £80,000; less for the
regular version. BIK is 16% at the time of
writing.
THE POWER
The Audi e-tron is typical of the brand
with the sort of quality and attention to
detail buyers have come to expect from
this prestige car builder. Fully electric
power is derived from two electric motors
that mobilise 225kW as the driving force.
One motor is sited at the front developing
181bhp; the other is at the rear with
221bhp, both working in conjunction with
each other.
Utilising quattro all-wheel drive, the
e-tron boasts a total of 402bhp with both
motors combined, with torque at 487lb/
ft in Boost mode, driving the new Audi
to an official figure of 5.7sec to 62mph.
This is one of the advantages of electric
motivation; acceleration is instant with no
turbochargers to lag behind. With an eye to
the laws of most of our lands the top speed
is limited to a maximum of 124mph.
A large battery with a capacity of 82kilowatt/
hours takes up almost the entire space
in the underbody area between the axles.
Range will always depend upon how the
car is used, much as fuel consumption
is, but with an official range of over 279
miles on one full charge, the e-tron
sets the benchmark in its class and
begins to answer the question of range
anxiety among the public. The modular
electrification platform used on this car will
be integrated in further electric vehicles
produced by both Audi and the Volkswagen
Group as a whole in the future.
THE CAR
The Audi e-tron then is a fully featured
five-door SUV with all the very latest in
safety technology including lane departure
warning, Collision Pre-sense, adaptive
cruise assist, matrix LED headlights and
a rear-view camera as standard. As is
usual, there is a host of options available,
including ‘virtual’ rear-view mirrors.
On the inside the Audi e-tron’s modern,
uncluttered design highlights the
spaciousness of the fine interior. Unlike
conventional vehicles, there’s no centre
tunnel to impede the space in the rear. The
driver gets all the toys with a customisable
virtual cockpit, discrete touch-screens
with ‘haptic feedback’ (The idea of this is to
create the illusion of substance and force
like using real switches and so on. It’s up
to the user to decide if it does or not), and
voice-command controls via the clear,
expansive dashboard.
First reports of driving are positive. With
almost total noise insulation, the drive
is accompanied by a faint, distant whine
from the electric motors at each end of
the cabin. Tyre noise is superbly isolated at
town speeds making the e-tron a soothing,
yet enjoyable car to drive. The future of
motoring is here.
Written by Geoff Maxted
www.drivewrite.co.uk
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THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2019
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