Motoring

Introducing the e-tron SUV: Audi's first fully-electric car

Audi's gearing up to compete in the electric car arena with a dozen new models planned by 2025. Bruce Fraser headed to San Francisco to see their first contender: the e-tron SUV

30 September 2018 - 00:00 By Bruce Fraser

Pushing off from Pier 3 into the beautiful San Francisco harbour last Monday evening, I couldn’t get the 60s classic by soul singer Otis Redding, Sittin ’ On the Dock of the Bay, out of my head. We glide past the notorious Alcatraz prison while in the distance the iconic Golden Gate Bridge stands tall — as it has done for eight decades.
Written shortly before his tragic death in a plane crash at just 26 years of age, Redding sings with a deep passion about the pressures of change. In a way, his lyrics were appropriate, considering 1,600 guests were aboard the majestic paddleboat, the San Francisco Belle as we headed to the site of an old Ford plant in Richmond, California, for the unveiling of Audi’s first fully electric vehicle — the e-tron.
In a welcoming speech Bram Schot, acting president for Audi, touched on recent events that have rocked the Volkswagen group. “While we must not forget what has happened in the past, the need for change is now. ”
He was of course referring to the emissions scandal known as Dieselgate. The build-up to this week’s event had all the ingredients of a Hollywood movie. Two months out from the planned August unveiling of the e-tron in Brussels, it was announced the event was postponed due to “organisational issues”.
It is no secret that the company’s CEO, Rupert Stadler, had been arrested days before at his Ingolstadt home for his involvement in the scandal. To date the group has been fined in excess of $26bn — and other lawsuits are pending. And as investigators dig deeper into the scandal, the murkier things become — fraud, phone-tapping, high-profile resignations. It’s straight from Tinseltown.
Hiltrud Werner, the sole woman on Volkswagen’s management board, was forthright in a recent interview when she described the situation as “the worst industrial scandal in Germany since World War 2. It has a magnitude that we have not seen before.”
It might be pre-emptive to say Monday was the start of “new beginnings” for the group, but it is definitely a new technological chapter for Audi as they head into a future in which electric vehicles feature prominently.
And the fact that the e-tron event took place in the state of California — or more precisely 56km north of Elon Musk’s Tesla assembly plant in Fremont —was no coincidence. The motor industry doesn’t believe in coincidences — they believe in marketing strategies and the five-seater etron will be a direct competitor for Musk’s brand while also aimed at the tech-savvy hub of Silicon Valley.
An investment of €600m at Audi’s plant in Brussels has resulted in the first e-tron rolling off the production line two weeks ago and is available immediately in America with a price tag starting at $74,800 (around R1,060,386).
BEFITTING AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE
While the design of the vehicle includes many styling cues typical of Audi, there are a few nice elements befitting an electric vehicle. Speaking at a workshop just hours before its unveiling, exterior designer Juan-Carlos Huerta Martinez gave a glimpse into his thinking .
“We wanted the vehicle to be an SUV without compromise. The wheels are big like those of the Q7 while the front is upright with a low shoulder.
“Our aim was to maintain the same language for all the elements on the vehicle to give the exterior a cohesive look and feel.”
One particular feature of the vehicle that is a first in the world of motoring is the introduction of virtual side mirrors. Futuristic-looking most definitely, but they also appear to work extremely well. Images from rear-facing cameras are displayed on seven-inch screens resulting in the driver remaining more focused on what is in front of him rather than being distracted by sideways eye movement.
At the heart of an electric vehicle is obviously the battery and a particular concern has always been the charge range. Think back to the Nissan Leaf when it was first introduced in 2010. Revolutionary at the time, it had a limited range of approximately 100km — hardly practical in a country like SA where distances travelled are often vast.
The e-tron of today has a claimed range of 450km — depending on how the vehicle is driven — but the technology is constantly improving.
Critics might say that is fine, but what about charging points? In Europe there are roughly 72,000 charging points available which are partnered through 220 operators, while in America the number is growing fast.
The e-tron comes with two electric motors — one at the front (125kW) and one at the rear (140kW) and are housed in a fully-enclosed casing lying in the underbelly of the vehicle. Torque is rated at an impressive 561Nm while quattro all-wheel drive is standard.
Performance-wise these combine for a 0-100km/h time of 6.6 seconds. Both motors also have an eight-second boost function.
Though a quick test drive was obviously out of the question, I did manage to check out the interior and the Audi stamp of quality is quite evident. The materials used are of superior textures while build quality is what we have come to expect from the German marque.
While the e-tron may be the first fully electric vehicle Audi has brought to market, it definitely won’t be the last as there are plans to have 12 fully-electric models in their portfolio by 2025 and have roughly one-third of its sales coming from electrified models.
I must admit that in the past I’ve been a sceptic when it comes to the viability of electric mobility and SA remains way behind the likes of America and Europe when it comes to providing the necessary incentives and infrastructure.
But there is no denying the era of electric vehicles is here and now and will continue to grow for generations to come. It is, as Redding alluded to in his 1967 hit, about change and how you adapt.
• The e-tron is due for release in South Africa mid-2019...

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