Audi & SHARP
Built in a factory near company headquarters in Ingolstadt, Germany, the all-new Audi Q6 e-tron marks the moment electrification comes home to the birthplace of Audi. Featuring a ground-up redesign on a new platform, it’s a high-tech showcase from a brand whose motto is Vorsprung durch Technik — literally “progress through technology.” Here are seven things you need to know about it.
At the heart of the Q6 e-tron’s new Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture is its power source, a 100 kWh battery pack. Built using less cobalt and other rare earths to reduce its manufacturing footprint, it is nonetheless both lighter and more power dense than packs in previous-generation e-trons, offering some 50% more power by weight.
The battery pack is basically two batteries in one, built on 800V technology that is accepts up to 270kW and charges from 10% to 80% battery life in just 21 minutes. If using a more common 400V-fast charger, the system operates as two virtual battery packs that charge in parallel at 135kW, helping to reduce charge time despite the lower power on tap.
Audi’s quattro all-wheel-drive changed the industry when it debuted, and continues to be one of the best ways to conquer sheeting rain and the snow and slush of Canadian weather. Every Q6 e-tron comes with quattro, but a new, cutting-edge version made possible by dual electric motors.
Up front, the electric motor provides instantaneous torque on demand while the rear motor puts power down full time. Both feature direct lubrication systems that control heat and increase efficiency. Under full power, both motors combine to provide maximum traction and acceleration. At cruising speeds, drag has been reduced by half to maximize range.
With its 94.4kWh battery pack fully charged, the Q6 e-tron is capable of more than 480 kms of range. Total power is rated at 422 hp, but a launch control surge boosts power to 456hp and making the sprint to 100 km/h take just over five seconds.
At a cost of slightly-reduced range — thanks to its standard 20” wheels — the SQ6 e-tron offers even more power at a potent 483 hp as standard. Here, the over-boost function pushes power to 509 hp, with 0-100km/h taking just 4.3 seconds.
In overall footprint, the Q6 e-tron takes about as much space on your driveway as the best-selling Q5, Canada’s most popular Audi vehicle. However, thanks to a wheelbase that is about 80mm longer than that of the Q5, there’s even more rear seat space for passengers.
Behind the rear seats, there’s 526L of cargo capacity (or 1529L with the seats folded flat) — all the space that gear for active lifestyles requires.
The cockpit of the Q6 e-tron is as high-tech as everyone’s come to expect from Audi, with an 11.9” curved screen for gauges and a 14.5” touchscreen for infotainment duties. There’s even an optional 10.9” screen for the passenger capable of streaming videos. Coolest of all is the Augmented Reality Heads Up Display, which projects navigation and other information assists right in front of the driver.
Battery-electric vehicles don’t produce any tailpipe emissions, but there is a cost to manufacturing them. In the case of the Q6 e-tron, Audi has maximized efficiency throughout the production process, reducing the rare earth used to build the vehicle’s battery pack.
Further, since the beginning of this year, Ingolstadt is Audi’s third factory to operate with net-zero emissions. Sustainable manufacturing is baked right in to the company’s forward-looking strategy.
When the Q6 and SQ6 e-tron arrives at Canadian dealerships, it joins eight existing EV and plug-in hybrid Audi models. Positioned between the nimble Q4 e-tron and impressive Q8 e-tron, it’s right at the sweet spot to be the perfect blend of all-weather performance and capability that has long been Audi’s calling card.
Audi has just opened up orders, and with EV adoption in Canada at an all-time high, Audi’s newest battery-electric vehicle isn’t going to hang around long.
The post 7 Things You Need to Know About the Audi Q6 e-tron appeared first on Sharp Magazine.
