Electrifying e-tron SUV

ONE can often judge the importance a manufacturer places on the introduction of a new model to its range by the size of the launch. If it’s a simple nip-and-tuck that requires a magnifying glass to spot any changes, then the chances are it will be a short drive around the block and a burger at McDonalds. If it’s a game-breaker, as Audi’s e-tron SUV was last week, you go big. How big exactly? Well, in this particular case, very big! Unveiled in San Francisco on the US west coast, over 1,600 clients, dealers and media from around the world were invited to view the brand’s first, fully-electric vehicle. It’s a significant step for the German marque, not only because of what the e-tron represents to the brand today, but because this will pave the way for a further 12 fully electric models to be added to its portfolio by 2025. More importantly, by the middle of the next decade, one in three vehicles manufactured by Audi will be either fully electric or hybrid — a significant number. “The e-tron will be a game-changer for Audi,” said interim CEO Bram Schot at the glittering event. “It’s our first electric model and it’s going to be a volume model.” Design-wise the e-tron is fairly conservative in its appearance when you take into consideration some of the electric vehicles that have come before it. Take the BMW i3 as an example. Look beyond its box-like, quirky looks and relative high-end price-tag and what you will find is an excellent choice of fully-electric motoring. In the past there has never been anything traditional about how electric vehicles have been designed – which for some motorists is a good thing as uniqueness should always be applauded – but for the majority of motorists it is a step to far to consider it parked in their driveway. The e-tron, mind you, is certainly more “acceptable”. Exterior designer Philipp Romers perhaps sums it up best when he says “an electric vehicle doesn’t necessarily have to look different, but it has to look good”. Certain design features unique to the e-tron include a band of light at the rear, daytime running lights integrated into the headlamp itself and the charging flap on the side sills. Also noticeable is the absence of tailpipes on the rear diffuser. A major talking point at the unveiling centred around the ditching of conventional side mirrors for virtual mirrors – or perhaps more accurately, rear-view cameras. Miniature cameras film the road behind the car and transmit the images to a screen on the driver’s door. It is an interesting innovation and is the first time it is seen in an Audi vehicle, but hiccups could arise down the road when it comes to homologation in certain markets around the world. It may be a case of the technology is available but are the authorities ready for such radical changes? There could be some serious negotiations going on there. This e-tron, which will be made in Brussels, is also an excellent example of just how far battery development has come over the past few years. Looking back, a major concern with electric vehicles has always been battery range in a real world environment. Think of those early days when we had pioneer cars such as the Nissan Leaf which would leave the driver anxious just driving from Johannesburg to Pretoria. Those days are thankfully in the rearview mirror as technology continues to rapidly improve and the e-tron has a claimed range of 450km – depending, obviously, on how the vehicle is driven. Another area that is showing dramatic progress is in the proliferation of charging stations. In Europe alone there are over 72,000 charging stations thanks to 220 different operators with more being added

every month. These high-speed public chargers can provide an approximate 80% charge in about 30 minutes. America and China are quickly following suit and it is these developments that is making driving an electric vehicle a viable alternative to the traditional combustion engine. Unfortunately, in SA the charging network provides little confidence, with consumers having to rely on a rather shaky Eskom power supply to charge their vehicles either at home or in the office. A far from ideal situation if the move towards electrified vehicles is to be taken seriously locally. It was certainly no coincidence the launch of the e-tron took place in the state of California – which is America’s biggest luxury automotive market, but equally importantly, Tesla’s backyard and home to Silicon Valley. For the past few years Elon Musk’s company has dominated the electric car market in the US and it will certainly be interesting to see the shake-up the introduction of the e-tron will have. One suspects Musk might have a few other things on his mind in the coming months rather than firing off libellous tweets and smoking dagga while giving interviews. The heart of the e-tron lies in the dual electric motors which are in a flat casing and lie in the underbelly of the vehicle – developing a total power output of 265kW and torque rated at 561Nm. In an era where keeping a vehicle’s weight down is important, it is worth noting the battery is certainly not light, weighing a considerable 700kg. The five-seater e-tron, which sizewise sits somewhere between a Q5 and a Q7, is also equipped with a ‘’boost mode’’ function. Activate this and power is upped to around 300kW for an eightsecond period and should see you complete the 0-100km/h sprint in 5.5 secs with a top-end of 200km/h. The electric SUV segment at this stage is admittedly fairly small – but a glance in to the crystal ball and one sees on the not-too-distant horizon the MercedesBenz EQC, BMW’s Vision iNext and Jaguar I-Pace all hitting the road. It’s no exaggeration to say a new chapter was written in motoring history in San Francisco with the launch of the e-tron. But even more exciting is the story is far from over. The e-tron is due for release in South Africa mid-2019.