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With its aerodynamic design and elegant, luxurious cabin, the all-electric Audi e-tron marks a new era, not just for those seeking the benefits of electric propulsion, but for everyone who demands the experience of driving an Audi. Kjell-Arne Wold, Audi's e-tron project manager, explains why below

The e-tron SUV is Audi's first electric vehicle that goes beyond plug-in hybrid offerings – there is no internal combustion engine to boost range or add power. The Audi e-tron has two electric motors, one for the rear wheels and one for the front wheels, powered by a 95 kWh battery pack that enables the car to travel up to 400 kilometres on a single charge.

With the e-tron, Audi’s aim is to make the transition from combustion engine to electrification as smooth as possible. So the e-tron design is mainstream even if the technology is not. With an electric vehicle, the most crucial component is the battery, especially the efficiency of the battery and the battery charging. In this regard, Audi insists it has come up with a top-class solution.

Audi’s e-tron project manager is Kjell-Arne Wold, who worked for seven years with Tesla. Here he explains the development story behind the Audi e-tron.

When did Audi start development?

This has been something Audi wanted to do for a long time, but developing a car from the ground up as electric takes a lot of planning. That’s why we didn’t want to bring this car to the market before it had reached a level of quality similar to any other Audi. The e-tron is also just the start. We have a very strong commitment that we call the Audi Vorsprung 2025 strategy, where we are committed to ensuring that every third Audi sold in 2025 will be electric.

What challenges did the e-tron face?

You have to put a lot of thought into the battery cell technology, which has been developing rapidly over the last few years. Our e-tron uses a lithium-ion battery that is structured differently from the batteries used in Tesla’s cars, for example. We carefully monitor battery cell technology development and work with partners who are the best in the business.

In Association with

The most important thing is the efficiency of the battery and battery charging. The speed of charge can drop massively once you reach 50% charge. It would be like plugging in your phone when the charge is down to 5%; the first 50% of the recharge takes two minutes but the remaining 50% takes 50 minutes.

It was very important for Audi to fix this. We solved it with the use of the right cell technology, the right construction of the battery pack, and with the right temperature monitoring system while charging. If you don’t manage the battery cooling correctly, you end up frying it and destroying its longevity. The customer might also end up waiting for it to charge a lot longer than they should have to.

What can the e-tron deliver in range, charge times and power?

You can travel up to 400km with the e-tron. I personally tested the car by driving from Zurich to Munich, where I live, during winter time. There was lots of snow and sub-zero temperatures, and the distance was over 300km, but I had no problem doing that. You can max the range to more than 400km if you drive slowly and carefully, not accelerating hard and always using the regeneration as best you can. 

It takes under 30 minutes for the e-tron battery to go from zero charge to 80% using the new Ionity fast charging network. The car’s top speed is 212km per hour and it can accelerate from zero to 100km per hour in under six seconds.

Where is it manufactured?

It is manufactured in Brussels in a former production facility for the Audi A1, which was moved to Spain. We wanted our first ever production plant for our electric range to be fully CO2 neutral. And we got that certificate, becoming the first premium manufacturer of electric cars to have a C02-neutral production facility. This certification is awarded by a third party using strict criteria.

What informed the aesthetic?

We wanted to make e-tron look like a beautiful car and not just a beautiful electric car. It is extremely important to us that our customers still feel like they are driving an Audi. We want to maintain that strong Audi identity in the e-tron and in our future electric cars. 

Where in the market is the car positioned?

The e-tron isn’t a crossover, it’s a full-blooded SUV. The SUV is the largest car segment in the world and the Audi Q5 is our bestselling car. The e-tron fits into this line-up and it also speaks to what our customers want. 

How important is innovation for electric vehicles?

I think it’s very important, but we can’t forget the primary purpose of a car, which is to take you one place to another in a very safe way. It should also be a fun way to do it. With the e-tron, first we had to ensure that we are making a good car that doesn’t break down and that has the quality you would expect from Audi. Once we tackled these primary needs, we could look more into the opportunities for innovation. We are doing a lot there already, as seen in our integration with Amazon Alexa, for example. 

For me, the best innovation with an electric car is the electric drive itself. This is something you don’t really get to experience until you have had it for a while. The e-tron offers a very efficient way of driving. When you go downhill you can increase the braking with a click of a button. It feels like braking but you are actually just using the kinetic energy to replenish your battery. It’s like somebody is filling up your diesel tank as you go downhill.

Another innovative aspect is the immediate response on the accelerator. For example, if you are driving on a roundabout and there’s an opening, you can get there right away because the car reacts immediately. Modern-day engines are pretty quick but they can never compete with the fully electric drive train.

This is also true with our Quattro four-wheel drive system, from the same team that developed the original Quattro. The new E-Quattro system is basically the Quattro 2.0, and it makes the system even better and even safer.