Audi’s e-tron quattro electric SUV: 310 mile range, arrives in 2018

Audi

The Audi e-tron quattro concept. A production version is due in 2018.

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Over in Europe, the annual Frankfurt International Motor Show is taking place, and several of the brands that live under the Volkswagen AG umbrella have used the show to reveal electric vehicle (EV) concept cars that trail future production models. One of these is the Audi e-tron quattro, a 310-mile (500km) SUV that will reach the showroom by 2018.

The Audi e-tron quattro has a pair of electric motors driving the rear wheels and another motor driving the front wheels. These give the car a total of 429hp (320kW), with an extra 67hp/50kW available as a boost function for short periods. Coupled with an extremely low drag coefficient of just 0.25, it should be good for 0-62 mph (0-100kp/h) in 4.5 seconds, making it one quick SUV.

The e-tron quattro will have 95kWh batteries, and Audi says the car can be fully recharged in about 50 minutes with DC power. Given how rapidly EV batteries are developing, it's even possible the production version will pack more of a punch.

The e-tron quattro also features a solar panel on the roof for capitalizing on free power during sunny days, and it has a wireless induction charging feature similar to the Qualcomm Halo system we saw earlier this year.

Listing image by Audi