After long awaited, Audi finally officially revealed its first electric car, an SUV called e-Tron. Audi’s offer apparently came shortly after its rival, Mercedes-Benz, also made its debut in the electric segment through a car named EQC, which happens to be an SUV type.
Electric Champs
In developing e-Tron, Audi seems to focus on the most important aspect of an electric car, which is power efficiency. Batteries with a total capacity of 95 kWh positioned on the floor can supply enough energy to cover a distance of around 400 km. Not the most efficient, but still impressive.
What’s even more special is the regenerative braking feature that e-Tron has. Tesla and other electric cars also feature similar features, but Audi’s claim is one of the most efficient in this section. Regenerative braking works when the gas pedal is removed, it doesn’t have to be when the brake pedal is stepped on.
When active, the electric motor in the car works, on the contrary, becoming an electric generator rather than converting it into a driving force. Long story short, on the road down, electric car batteries like the Audi e-Tron are not reduced, but instead, are increasing.
Apart from being economical, e-Tron is also a champion of charging. At the supporting charging station, e-Tron can be charged with a capacity of 150 kW – higher than the Tesla and Supercharger system which is ’only’ 120 kW – so charging from 0 to 80% only takes about 30 minutes. To refill at home, e-Tron is equipped with a default charger with a high enough capacity also at 11 kW.
Performance
On the performance section, e-Tron is still inferior compared to the Tesla Model X, but its acceleration is clearly far away than the gasoline engine SUV: 0-100 km / h in 5.7 seconds. The top speed itself is at 200 km/hour.
e-Tron is powered by two electric motors positioned in front and rear. The combination can produce a power of 265 kW (± 350 hp), but the acceleration figure is obtained by activating “Boost Mode”, which will add more power output to reach 300 kW (± 400 hp).
This power is channeled to the Quattro, but the Quattro system here seems to have been electrified too. As a result, the system can adjust the torque distribution to each wheel in just 5 milliseconds, much faster than the mechanical Quattro system. Both performance and power efficiency also depends on aerodynamic factors, and the e-Tron virtual mirror is very useful in this regard.
Interior
The inside is filled with all the technological features that Audi can provide for the beginning of the upcoming “Universe” electric vehicle Audi 2025. The comfort of the interior of the 2019 Audi e-Tron is supported by a passenger seat that looks comfortable with a firm design. Audi introduces e-Tron with modern luxury, One of which is by providing a cockpit system surrounded by a screen and will lite up when the passengers enter the car.
The seat surface is covered with Valcona leather and smooth Nappa material on the backrest, backrest, and armrest to provide comfort while driving. There is also climate control behind the seat to allow each passenger to adjust the temperature as desired. The massage chair feature on the front seat is also added for the Prestige variant.
Audi Virtual Cockpit is a standard feature given to the Audi e-Tron dashboard, but Audi also provides video mirror options, because the legality of digital mirrors varies by region. Competing with other electric vehicles that will be launched in 2019 and so on, the dashboard design looks more simple with the rarity of physical buttons visible. The dashboard is filled with an infotainment system and MMI touchscreen display. All parts have been digitalized.
As it was launched in the European version, there is a hand-rest with a gear changer lever above the center console. This feature is made to facilitate the driver when the vehicle is in a parking position to activate the hand brake or parking brake.
The Audi Way
From the outside, it can be seen that the appearance of the Audi e-Tron is actually not too much different from the version of the concept that was first exhibited three years ago. At a glance, the e-Tron can be seen as a new version of the Audi Q5 SUV, and it won’t look too flashy. But unlike Mercy, which is still silent about the EQC price tag, Audi does not hesitate to reveal the price of e-Tron, which starts at $ 74,800 and will be marketed in mid-2019.
