Upcoming Audi E-Tron Will Have Access To Around 80 Percent Of Charging Stations In Europe

We’re just a few days away from the official reveal of the battery-electric E-Tron and Audi has just revealed the first details of the model’s charging service that brings together 72,000 charging points by 220 providers in the EU.

Owners of the Audi E-Tron will be provided with the e-tron Charging Service card, giving them access to around 80 percent of all public charging stations in Europe. Billing will be handled centrally under a single contract with clear pricing models, on a monthly basis. The Charging Service card will also be available to owners of Audi’s e-tron plug-in hybrid models too.

“The e-tron Charging Service builds confidence in our electric initiative,” said Peter Mertens, Member of the Board of Management of Audi for Technical Development. “Following on from the Audi e-tron, in 2019 the Audi e-tron Sportback will be the second electric car to go on sale, followed in 2020 by the Audi e-tron GT from Audi Sport. We already have the right answers to many of the questions and concerns regarding charging.”

The service can be used through a provided by the company card or by scanning a QR code with a smartphone. Charging rates include anything from AC or DC to 11kW and 150kW fast-chargers. VW Group has joined forces with BMW Group, Daimler and Ford, launching Ionity, a joint venture that aims to establish 400 quick-charging stations by 2020.

As for customers wanting to charge in their own garage, Audi will offer various solutions; as standard, the E-Tron will come with a compact mobile charging system that can be used either with a 230 volt household outlet or a 400 volt three-phase outlet. An optional connect charging system doubles the charging power to as much as 22kW. Audi says that the second on-board charger required for this will become available as an option later in 2019.

Audi estimates that the new E-Tron will offer a range of more than 248 miles on a full battery charge, per the latest (and more realistic) WLTP testing cycle. The company had previously said that 30 minutes of charging in a 150kW fast-charger will be sufficient for a long-distance trip, without providing further details.

The new Audi E-Tron will be revealed in its final production form on September 17, during a special event at San Francisco.