NEW DELHI: German carmaker Audi has finally unveiled its first all-electric series production car - the e-tron. The model has been slated for the US and European launch by the end of this year, followed by the launch in other countries in a phased manner. The big news is that India has also been confirmed as one of the countries to get the Audi e-tron SUV next year.The five-seater electric sports utility vehicle (SUV) is expected to arrive in the Indian market by the end of 2019 and is speculated to be priced slightly above the Audi Q7 SUV. Which means, prices of the electric SUV can be expected to breach Rs 1 crore line for the higher trims.In the terms of size, the Audi e-tron slots in between the Q5 and the Q7. The electric SUV is powered by two electric motors that are CO2-neutral and claims a combined power output of 360PS. The peak torque output of the system is 561Nm and it also comes with a boost mode, which pushes the maximum power output to 408PS (for eight seconds). A new generation of the quattro drive, Audi's all-wheel drive, comes standard and makes the e-tron capable of doing a 0-100kmph sprint in just 5.7 seconds in the boost mode. Audi said that the model has a top speed of 200kmph.The company claims that the e-tron has a range of 400 kilometres in a single full-charge which is quite sufficient for most of the markets, including India where the charging infrastructure is in developing mode. Audi said that its 95kWh lithium-ion battery pack can store 80 per cent of the charge in 30 minutes using a 150kW DC fast charger while takes eight hours for the same process with a normal 240V AC wall charger.Audi has used multiple methods in the electric SUV to maximise the range, including recovery technologies and reducing aerodynamic drag with design features like the optional virtual exterior mirrors.The e-tron offers the spaciousness and comfort of one of the brand’s typical full-size models, the company said in a statement. The model will offer a luxurious interior, like its other high-end offerings, along with a host of new tech features, including a high-end media center MMI navigation plus with the e-tron route planner, LTE Advanced and a Wi-Fi hotspot as standard. The model also features numerous assist systems for the driver.<doc-sep>After years of teasing with concept vehicles and prototypes, Audi has finally launched the production version of the e-tron electric SUV in the US. A special ‘Edition One’ is hitting the market first in Q2 2019 at $86,700 before incentives and it will be followed by a base version starting at $74,800. We now have all the official specs and our first official look at the production version of the vehicle. As we have been reporting over the last few weeks, Audi seemed to be pulling all the stops for the launch of its first next-generation production electric vehicle. Last week, they started an advertising campaign for the e-tron electric SUV ahead of the launch event. Ads, for an all-electric vehicle made by a legacy automaker, are playing during the Emmys as I am writing this. Now for the actual launch, they brought hundreds of people to San Francisco, myself included, loaded us up in a giant boat at Pier 3 and shipped us to the other side of the bay in Richmond. We already had a pretty good look at the e-tron with the “camouflaged” prototype that the company has been showing around during its development program. But now we saw the first production version without anything hiding its form and features: Furthermore, Audi took over the Graham Civic Auditorium ahead of the unveiling in San Francisco to show the media and Audi dealers and employees the underlying technology that the automaker has developed to deliver the vehicle. For example, they developed a new 95 kWh battery pack architecture equipped with 36 modules using lithium-ion pouch cells. It weighs about 1,541 lbs (699 kg) and it is built mostly flat to fit at the bottom of the vehicle for a skate-like platform that has become somewhat standard with new electric vehicles. The enclosure in the back of the vehicle is a little higher because it has a second layer of battery modules. Audi built a water-cooled thermal management system that transfers heat through the bottom of the pack through a gel around each module. The automaker claims that the thermal management system is enabling the e-tron to unleash all its power repeatedly without loss and to achieve its class-leading 150 kW charge rate. But in my opinion, the most impressive feature of the battery pack is the integrated crash structure that is built to defuse the energy from a collision around the battery modules: Audi didn’t want to release an estimated EPA range of the vehicle and instead only released the WLTP: 400 km. As for the power, while you can indeed unleash it repeatedly, you can only do it in full under what Audi calls “boost” mode. Both electric motors, one on each axle, are AC induction motors. The rear one is capable of a 165 kW output, but 25 kW is reserved for boost mode. As for the front motor, it is capable 135 kW with 10 kW limited to boost mode: It adds up to a total peak power of 300 kW between the two motors and Audi says that it can result in a 0 to 60 mph time of 5.5 seconds (0 to 100 km/h in 5.7 seconds). Those are all good performance specs for a SUV of this size. Where the e-tron differentiates itself when it comes to electric SUVs, and electric vehicles in general, is the fast-charging capacity. In production electric vehicles today, Tesla has the leading fast-charging rate of 120 kW. The California-based automaker enabled this through its battery pack technology and its own Supercharger network. Now several charging station companies, including companies Audi is involved with through its parent company Volkswagen, like Electrify America and Ionity, have started deploying stations with higher charge rate from 150 kW to 350 kW. Audi becomes the first to take advantage of those new stations with a production passenger vehicle. The German automaker says that the e-tron can charge at 150 kW – or from 0 to 80% in about 30 minutes. But like any other electric vehicle, most of the charging will be done at home and overnight. For that, Audi has included a 11 kW onboard charger. The automaker also plans to offer a dual onboard charger option to take advantage of higher-powered level 2 chargers. Buyers will have to different mobile charger options when buying the e-tron: The “Connect” version will enable smart capabilities like time-of-use charging as well as interfacing with a smart solar inverter to charge with solar power if the location is equipped with a solar array. As an option, Audi will also offer its own level 2 home charger: To complete its charging offering, Audi is also planning some products based on “second-life” battery products. The automaker is evaluating the possibility to reuse older battery modules to build mobile chargers with energy storage capacity that could be used in applications like parking lots to move chargers around. The e-tron also becomes Audi’s first vehicle to feature its ‘virtual side mirror’ technology. The feature enables Audi to shave a few points off its drag coefficient and improve efficiency in the process. It is only available where the regulation allows it, which is only in Europe right now, but Audi said that it is currently lobbying for it to become legal in the US. In Europe, it will be a 1,400 euros option. The mirror is replaced by a camera in a smaller enclosure and an OLED display inside the door. We were able to play with a demo of the feature and it looks fairly well executed: Hopefully, the feature proves effective and safe enough to impress regulators in order to eventually becomes more widely adopted since it has the potential of increasing the efficiency of all vehicles. We also had the chance to play with Audi’s infotainment center for the e-tron. It is very much like what you would find in a Audi A8, but with a few more features to manage the electric vehicle: Electrek’s Take To be clear, this is not our review of the Audi e-tron. We have yet to try the new electric vehicle (hopefully soon).<doc-sep>The Audi e-tron SUV is an electric shot at Tesla The price start at $74,800 for Audi's first EV This is the Audi e-tron. The electric SUV seats five and starts at $74,800. The e-tron will hit Audi dealerships in the middle of 2019, and prospective buyers can reserve one right now for $1,000. This is Audi’s first production electric vehicle and perhaps one of the most significant EVs to be announced since the Chevy Bolt. It has everything Audi buyers expect: Quattro AWD, technology-first cockpit, and a familiar fit and finish. The e-tron is launching to a market with few competitors. It’s most similar to the new Jaguar I-Pace. Both vehicles offer similar technology and creature comforts for a similar price. But in a way, the Audi is joining forces with the Jag to compete with Tesla. The e-tron is packed with a 95 kWh battery pack that powers electric motors on each axle. All-wheel drive is standard, and the vehicle packs two ways to recoup lost energy. Right now, at launch, Audi is not releasing official range numbers and the EPA has yet to certify and release its own numbers. Inside is reminiscent of current Audi SUVs. Drivers are presented with Audi’s virtual instrument panel and several touchscreens. The top center-mounted screen handles infotainment and navigation duty while the bottom is for climate control and text input. The cabin is equipped and outfitted similarly to the rest of Audi’s line, but the design language is unique to the e-tron. It’s clear Audi designed the e-tron to appeal to traditional buyers looking to jump into electric vehicles through familiar means. The e-tron looks and feels like the rest of Audi’s lineup. And that’s probably the point. The vehicle maker took its established formula and plugged it into electric vehicles. The result is something new yet familiar. [gallery ids="1714457,1714456,1714455,1714454,1714453,1714452,1714451,1714450,1714449"] The Audi e-tron The outside of the e-tron screams Audi. Sharp headlights, flowing body panels, and an angular, aggressive grill. It looks like a new version of Audi’s mid-size SUV, the Q5. The main design difference comes by way of four small accent lights on the side of the headlights and tail lights. They are designed to look like a battery meter, and the result is a clever, though subtle nod to the e-tron’s electric power plant. Clad in aluminum, the e-tron’s battery weighs about 700 kg (1,543.2 lb) and is comprised of 36 pouch-type cells, the same type of system Jaguar and Chevy use in their electric vehicles, while Tesla uses cylinder-type battery cells. Audi says e-tron’s battery can be recharged to 80% in 30 minutes using a 150 kW charger. The e-tron ships with a Level 2, 240-volt/40 amps residential charger that’s also compatible with 120-volt household outlets. Through a partnership, buyers will have the option to use Amazon Home Services to ready their homes with an installation of a home charger. E-tron buyers gain access to the nationwide charging network, “Electrify America” and can use up to 1,000 kWh of charge over four years. Audi says by 2019 this network will include five-hundred 350kW chargers throughout 40 states. An electric motor is mounted on each axle motor, though both are not used at all times. At moderate speeds, there is a bias to the rear motor. When the rear motor is unable to provide the vehicle with the desired powered, the front motor kicks on. The dual motors and single stage transmission work together to get the e-tron to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds. The tow rating is set at 4,000 lbs which is good enough for a small U-Haul trailer or a couple of jet skis. Audi says official horsepower and torque numbers will be released at a later time. Like other electric vehicles, the e-tron recovers energy through braking and deceleration. But Audi took driving efficiency one step farther. Using navigation and radar and camera data, the e-tron can predictively prompt the driver to release the gas pedal at appropriate times. If the vehicle knows the driver should slow down, it will tell the driver in the name of efficiency. Power is returned to the battery from practically all braking situations whether through natural deceleration when the driver releases the accelerator or when the friction brake system is engaged. Audi says this system is responsible for up to 30 percent of the e-tron’s range. The brakes are electric. When the driver presses the brake pedal, a control unit computes how much pressure needs to be applied, and an electric motor supplies the appropriate pressure. Audi says this system is 30% lighter than traditional vacuum brakes. The amount of energy the e-tron can recover is selectable by the driver via a paddle on the steering wheel. There are three settings. In the highest setting, the e-tron aggressively recovers energy every time the driver releases the accelerator, which allows for one pedal driving. But in the lowest setting the e-tron coasts without any braking resistance. Drivers are presented with few traditional switches and buttons. Most of the controls are contained on two touchscreens. The top, center-mounted screen is 10.1-inches while the bottom is an 8.6-inch screen that’s mounted in a way that the driver can access it while their hand is resting on the gear selector. Both screens provide tactile and audio feedback. This dual screen setup is different from the single, massive screen found in Tesla’s electric vehicles. The top screen handles infotainment, navigation, telephone, and vehicle settings while the bottom is for climate control and entering text for navigation. This layout more closely matches the traditional placement found in other vehicles, which will likely reduce the learning curve often associated with getting in a vehicle with just touchscreens. This dual touchscreen system is not unique to the e-tron. It’s the same equipment Audi employs in its high-end sedans, and will likely trickle down to other Audi models in coming generations. The driver is presented with Audi’s digital instrument panel that the carmaker has been using for several vehicle generations. In this instance, the instrument cluster is presented on a 1,920×720 display with e-tron specific graphics.<doc-sep>SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - German luxury car brand Audi on Monday staged the global launch of a new electric sport utility vehicle on the home turf of rival Tesla Inc TSLA.O, and highlighted a deal with Amazon.com Inc AMZN.O to make recharging its forthcoming e-tron models easier. The Audi e-tron midsize SUV will be offered in the United States next year at a starting price of $75,795 before a $7,500 tax credit. It is one of a volley of electric vehicles coming from Volkswagen AG VOWG.DE brands, as well as other European premium brands including Daimler-owned DAIGn.DE Mercedes-Benz, BMW BMWG.DE, Volvo Cars and Jaguar Land Rover. All aim to expand the market for premium electric vehicles and also to grab share of that market from Palo Alto, California-based Tesla, which has had the niche largely to itself. “I want Audi to be the number-one electric vehicle seller in America over the long term,” Audi of America President Scott Keogh told Reuters in an interview on Monday. Audi dealers, particularly those from California where Tesla has made significant inroads, cheered the e-tron at Monday night’s crowded event. Analysts on Tuesday expressed concern that the vehicle’s driving range may not measure up to the Tesla Model X. Audi officials said they do not have official range estimates for the e-tron SUV under U.S. testing procedures. They said the vehicle should achieve a range under less rigorous European testing standards of roughly 250 miles or 400 km. Keogh told attendees at Monday’s event that an e-tron had made a 175-mile journey over the mountains east of San Francisco with range to spare. He also emphasized that the e-tron is designed to recharge more rapidly than rival electric vehicles. UBS analyst Patrick Hummel said in a note on Tuesday that the e-tron "fails to set new benchmarks in the premium EV segment, even though we consider it better than the Mercedes EQC." The EQC is a rival electric SUV the Daimler AG DAIGn.DE brand plans to launch in 2020. The e-tron’s 95 kWh battery has less capacity than the 100 kWh battery used in the Tesla Model X 100D model, but more than the base Model X 75D. Slideshow ( 5 images ) The Model X 100D is rated at 295 miles (475 km) of range by the U.S. government. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who is also head of rocket company SpaceX, marked the e-tron launch by staging a SpaceX event in Los Angeles at roughly the same time on Monday evening as Audi’s unveiling. At the SpaceX event, the company named its first private passenger on a planned voyage around the moon in 2023. RECHARGING Audi and parent Volkswagen are using the U.S. launch of the e-tron SUV in mid-2019 to take aim at one obstacle to expanding electric vehicle sales - the lack of convenient ways to recharge their batteries. Audi will partner with online retailer Amazon to sell and install home electric vehicle charging systems to buyers of the e-tron, the companies said on Monday. Amazon will deliver the hardware and hire electricians to install them through its Amazon Home Services operation. Amazon’s partnership with Audi to provide home charging systems is the first time the online retailer has struck such a deal with an automaker, and signals a new front in Amazon’s drive to expand its reach into consumers’ homes beyond the presence of its Alexa smart speakers in living rooms and kitchens. “We see charging installation as a very important business,” Pat Bigatel, director of Amazon Home Services, told Reuters at Audi’s launch event in San Francisco’s Bill Graham Civic Center. Audi executives said home charging stations would cost about $1,000, depending on the home’s electrical system. Slideshow ( 5 images ) Tesla offers wall connectors for home charging at a $500 list price, and will arrange for installation, according to the company. At the same time, Electrify America, a company funded by Volkswagen as part of its settlement of U.S. diesel emission cheating litigation, plans to launch next year the next round of installations of public charging stations, Electrify America executives told Reuters. Tesla has developed its own network of Supercharger charging stations with more than 11,000 chargers in North America. Electrify America plans to have 2,000 chargers installed by mid-June next year. Those will be open to any vehicle, and customers can swipe a credit card to recharge. “We want to work with all” automotive brands, said Giovanni Palazzo, Electrify America’s chief executive. LIFTING THE CURTAIN Audi has been heralding the launch of the e-tron SUV for some time, but until Monday it had not shared many details of the vehicle. The e-tron is electric, and has two electric motors - one in the front and one in the rear - driving all four wheels. The Hungarian factory building motors for the e-tron will start with a production pace equivalent to 200 vehicles a day, Audi officials said. In Europe, the vehicle will use cameras instead of conventional mirrors to give drivers a view to the rear. That feature is still not approved by U.S. regulators. However, in many other respects the e-tron is a conventional, mainstream luxury SUV. It offers seating for five, and its length and wheelbase position it in the center of the market for midsize, five-passenger luxury SUVs such as the BMW X5. The e-tron is 5 inches (13 cm) shorter than the Tesla Model X, and it has conventional doors. The Model X uses vertically opening “falcon wing” doors. The e-tron will have an advanced cruise-control system that can keep the car within a lane and maintain a set distance behind another vehicle, but the system will be designed so that drivers must keep hands on the wheel.<doc-sep>
How the Audi e-tron compares to the Tesla Model X and Jaguar I-Pace Audi just announced its first production electric vehicle. Called the e-tron, the EV is a mid-size SUV loaded with technology with an unofficial range of over 300 miles. It’s nicely equipped, and with a starting price of $74,800, it sits between the Jaguar I-Pace and the Tesla Model X. The e-tron is most similar to the Jaguar I-Pace though the Audi is slightly better equipped. The e-tron packs a 95 kWh battery over the Jaguar’s 90 kWh battery. It’s also slightly larger and rated to tow 4,000 lbs. Comparing the e-tron to the Model X gets messy. Tesla sells the Model X in three flavors: mild, hot, and on fire. The mild version starts at $72,100 and packs a 75 kWh battery good for 237 miles. Spend $88,600 to get the 100D and its 100 kWh battery that’s rated for 295 miles. And for $125,800, buyers can get the P100D that’s good for 298 miles and a 0-60 time of 2.9 seconds. Autonomous driving modes are available for purchase on each version of the Model X. Audi and Jaguar do not offer autonomous driving on the e-tron or I-Pace. Spec for spec, the e-tron, I-Pace and Model X offer advantages over each other. Here are the most important technical specifications for each vehicle along with the Toyota RAV4, the top selling SUV in the United States. Here’s how I see each vehicle’s advantage: Audi e-tron Best price-to-battery ratio: Buyers get a 95 kWh battery on the base model. For the money, the Audi is the best value when it comes to the range it can travel. Competent controls: Audi installed the same dual-touchscreen system found in its high-end A8 luxury sedan. The top screen handles infotainment while the bottom screen handles climate control and text input. Both screens offer tactile and audio response when touched. It looks and feels like an Audi: The e-tron does not stand out, which could be a good thing for some buyers. It looks and feels like an Audi SUV. Audi is not releasing the range yet: The EPA must certify the e-tron before Audi can advertise the range of the e-tron. Without those numbers, it’s hard to place where the e-tron sits in the landscape. But today at the e-tron launch event, the company hinted at a range that’s superior to that of the Tesla Model X. Jaguar I-Pace Early reviews of the I-Pace praise the driving: The I-Pace is a crossover and it drives like one. It’s sporty and confident and it has the lowest stance of the three EVs listed here. The I-Pace is a Jag: The I-Pace has the quickest time to 60 mph out of the bunch and is capable of hitting the mark in 4.5 seconds. That’s the same as a 2016 Audi TTS Coupe. However, the more expensive Tesla P100D is much, much quicker with a 0-60 time of 2.9 seconds. Well equipped yet the cheapest: Starting at $69,500, the I-Pace is the least expensive of the bunch. And at that price, it’s well equipped Tesla Model X P75 It’s a Tesla: The Model X looks like nothing else on the road inside and out. To some, it’s a big draw while others shy away from the attention-getting design. The Model X is deceptively large: The Model X comes with five seats, but two jump seats can be added to the rear area. With all the seats down, the Model X has an available storage volume of 88 cubic feet — that’s just 6 cubic feet smaller than a Chevy Tahoe. The Model X can drive itself: The Model X can be equipped with Autopilot, Tesla’s self-driving system that can pilot the SUV on its own. More options: The Model X P100 offers more range and the Model X P100D offers more range and insane performance. The e-tron hits the US market in the middle of 2019, and by then, there will be additional competitors to compare.