Photo: Audi
There are little mysteries left about Audi’s firs electric SUV, the e-tron. The car has been slowly unveiled starting with the beginning of this year, and the official launch of the model is set to take place in Brussels at the end of August.
By that time, Audi tries to keep the interest high in this revival of the not-so-successful e-tron name. This time, the Germans released a set of photos showing the model as it undergoes aerodynamics testing in the wind tunnel at Ingolstadt.
The official numbers show the e-tron has a drag coefficient of 0.28, placing it at the top of the pack in the segment, regardless of the powertrain.
For an electric car, having a low drag coefficient is essential. Especially for the e-tron, whose official range is of only 248 miles (400 km) under the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP). Not exactly best-in-class for a carmaker that has for years struggled to make an electric car worthwhile.
Keep in mind that each hundredth of the drag coefficient gained translates into a gained range of around five kilometers (3 miles) in normal driving conditions. The low drag of the e-tron is estimated to increase the range of the car by around 35 kilometers (21 miles) under the same WLTP cycle.
To keep the drag low, Audi said it will be debuting for the first time on a production car virtual exterior mirrors that would reduce the vehicle width by 15 centimeters (5.9 inches). Instead of glass, the mirrors would use a small camera whose images would be sent to OLED displays located in the transition between the instrument panel and door.
Drag and virtual mirrors aside, it remains to be seen how the e-tron SUV would compete against the fierce competition.
There are currently only two other electric SUVs on the global market, Tesla’s Model X, and Jaguar’s I-Pace. Both beat the upcoming e-tron as far as range goes, as the former can drive for 295 miles (474 km), and the latter for 298 miles (480 km).
The official numbers show the e-tron has a drag coefficient of 0.28, placing it at the top of the pack in the segment, regardless of the powertrain.
For an electric car, having a low drag coefficient is essential. Especially for the e-tron, whose official range is of only 248 miles (400 km) under the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP). Not exactly best-in-class for a carmaker that has for years struggled to make an electric car worthwhile.
Keep in mind that each hundredth of the drag coefficient gained translates into a gained range of around five kilometers (3 miles) in normal driving conditions. The low drag of the e-tron is estimated to increase the range of the car by around 35 kilometers (21 miles) under the same WLTP cycle.
To keep the drag low, Audi said it will be debuting for the first time on a production car virtual exterior mirrors that would reduce the vehicle width by 15 centimeters (5.9 inches). Instead of glass, the mirrors would use a small camera whose images would be sent to OLED displays located in the transition between the instrument panel and door.
Drag and virtual mirrors aside, it remains to be seen how the e-tron SUV would compete against the fierce competition.
There are currently only two other electric SUVs on the global market, Tesla’s Model X, and Jaguar’s I-Pace. Both beat the upcoming e-tron as far as range goes, as the former can drive for 295 miles (474 km), and the latter for 298 miles (480 km).
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