Audi Wins This Title Over Tesla with the E-Tron
With Tesla making news left and right around the electric vehicle market worldwide, Audi has just earned something to throw their name into the mix.
The 2019 Audi E-Tron has just become the first battery-electric vehicle to earn a top safety rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, something other manufacturers in the electric space such as Tesla and Chevy have yet to achieve.
Earning this award is not an easy feat. Not only does a vehicle have to earn good ratings in six crash evaluations on top of a high front crash prevention and headlight rating. The E-trong front crash prevention system rated “superior” in the IIHS track tests by avoiding a collision in the 25mph test and reduced its impact speed by an average of 11mph.
Audi has a lot riding on the E-tron platform which is their first mass produced electric vehicle. Although gaining attention they have already had a few setbacks including a voluntary recall in the United States due to the risk of battery fire.
About the E-tron
The E-tron is Audi’s first all electric vehicle to go to mass production filling a market segment between the Audi Q5 and Q7 models.
Under the hood is a 95.0 kWh lithium ion battery back which powers two electric motors, one which is located at the front axle and the other in the rear of the vehicle. Together these motors provide an electric all wheel driver system where the rear is handling most of the output. During normal driving conditions this system produces about 355 hp and 414 lbs of torque but if you are like us and like to have more power behind that pedal, activating sport mode increases this output to 414hp and 490 lbs of torque.
When it comes to distance the E-tron is rated to go 204 miles which sadly does come in much less than its competitors in the electric market (Tesla Model X Long Range at 295 miles). but none the less is plenty of distance for the average consumer also given the fact that 54 miles can be achieved in as little as 10 minutes of charging.
With 2019 model year coming in with a price tag starting at around $74,800 it definately is not an affordable alternative to other gasoline mid size SUV’s on the market even when calculating fuel cost savings but the auto maker is kinda following a similar production model Tesla has gone down. By focusing on the higher priced market where margins lie they are able to refine their platform before refocusing on the more mass production vehicles where margins may be harder to achieve initially.
