Audi E-Tron sparks to life at Geneva
Audi has revealed their latest showstopper to the world at the Geneva Motor Show. The Audi e-tron prototype gives us a very close look into what Audi has planned for the future of their all-electric models.
The e-tron takes the form of a luxurious five-seater SUV with an electric range capable of completing long-distance trips with ease, with the production model being able to “fill-up” 150kW of charging capacity at charging stations in under 30 minutes.
European markets can expect the production model of the e-tron at the end of 2018, being shipped straight from the carbon-neutral production facility in Brussels. Audi intends on having three all-electric models on sale by 2020, which include the e-tron SUV, as well as a four-door Gran Turismo and a compact SUV. Altogether, Audi plans to launch more than 20 all-electric and plug-in hybrids by 2025 across their entire product range.
The Audi e-tron rocks a unique version of prototype camouflage, with its black, white and orange design film covering the majority of the SUV. This will link up to the pre-launch marketing campaign that Audi will run, where people can ‘spot’ the prototypes and share them on social media with ‘#etron’.
The Audi e-tron prototype in Geneva
Audi will continue with their testing of the e-tron until its launch, where the SUV will be driven over four continents in the process. Cold testing, heat testing, altitude testing and speed testing will be done in places such as Scandinavia, Africa, Asia and Germany respectively. Traffic testing will also be done in busy Chinese and American streets where the electric vehicle will prove itself.
Audi will also run extensive customer-focused testing on the e-tron before it enters final production. Intensive charging technology testing will also take place in a variety of settings to replicate daily scenarios that the car will endure, which is an important safety aspect when it comes to electric vehicles.
Around 250 e-tron prototypes will be used for the testing period and will collectively travel more than 5-million kilometres on the road over 85,000 hours.
