Photo: Audi
There’s less than a week left until Audi will unveil its first electric SUV on September 18 (initially, the unveiling was set to take place on September 17), and the image of the future European automotive industry is beginning to take shape.
The Mercedes-Benz EQC is already here, the Jaguar I-Pace as well, not to mention the Teslas and the cars of the Renault-Nissan alliance. The battle of the giants is set to begin, and it will not be a war of performance, but rather one of services.
On Wednesday, Audi announced a possibly game-changing service to go with the e-tron SUV. A one service-fits-all type of deal that might shift just enough customers the Audi way.
The plan the Germans have for its customers is simple: offer them access to pretty much all the charging points now available in Europe, regardless of operator, on the basis of a single billing contract with clear pricing models.
As per Audi, e-tron drivers will have access to over 72,000 charging points operated by 220 providers (about 80 percent of the European infrastructure), be it AC or DC, 11 kW or 150 kW, with only one customer Charging Service Card.
Owners will only have to register once to get access to the charging points, with all the money owed to be billed together at the end of the month.
“With the e-tron Charging Service, we are actually offering a premium charging service ahead of the Audi e-tron’s market introduction,” said in a statement Fermin Soneira, Head of Product Marketing at Audi.
“The product is tailored to the needs of our customers. We will be steadily expanding the service hand in hand with our strong partner Digital Charging Solutions.”
From 2019, Audi even plans to eliminate the need for using the Charging Service Card to fill up the battery. It will do so by allowing the e-tron to authenticate itself wirelessly, using cryptographic procedures.
The full details on the Audi Charging Service can be found in the document attached below.
On Wednesday, Audi announced a possibly game-changing service to go with the e-tron SUV. A one service-fits-all type of deal that might shift just enough customers the Audi way.
The plan the Germans have for its customers is simple: offer them access to pretty much all the charging points now available in Europe, regardless of operator, on the basis of a single billing contract with clear pricing models.
As per Audi, e-tron drivers will have access to over 72,000 charging points operated by 220 providers (about 80 percent of the European infrastructure), be it AC or DC, 11 kW or 150 kW, with only one customer Charging Service Card.
Owners will only have to register once to get access to the charging points, with all the money owed to be billed together at the end of the month.
“With the e-tron Charging Service, we are actually offering a premium charging service ahead of the Audi e-tron’s market introduction,” said in a statement Fermin Soneira, Head of Product Marketing at Audi.
“The product is tailored to the needs of our customers. We will be steadily expanding the service hand in hand with our strong partner Digital Charging Solutions.”
From 2019, Audi even plans to eliminate the need for using the Charging Service Card to fill up the battery. It will do so by allowing the e-tron to authenticate itself wirelessly, using cryptographic procedures.
The full details on the Audi Charging Service can be found in the document attached below.
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