Electric Audi A2, 350 Miles on a Single Charge

Soon enough, electric vehicles will make their big entrance on the automotive market. Yet, despite years of research and countless man hours spent to make EVs just as reliable as internal combustion-engined vehicles, most of the models which will be released starting the end of this year have not exited the realm of city cars.

Their somewhat limited range (on average, EVs can travel about 60 miles or 100 km on a single charge, giving birth to the so called buyer-behavioral pattern called range anxiety) is as big of an enemy for EVs as the lack of the proper infrastructure is. The range issue is however about to change.

Two private companies made yesterday what is perhaps the most important step in showing the world the range issue can be solved in the near future. Lekker Energie and DBM Energy took an Audi A2, strapped ultra light weight lithium metal-polymer batteries on it and broke a world record.

The A2, called Lekker Mobil, managed to travel from Munich to Berlin on a single charge. That's roughly 350 miles, or a little under 600 km. The car averaged 55 mph (90 km/h) and didn't need major modifications to its other systems.

What's more important, the technology which made the trip possible is available today.

“The technology works and can be adapted for series production,” said the company that produces the batteries fitted on the A2. “The ball is in the auto industry's court now and they can make a giant leap when it comes to electric vehicles' technologies.”