Audi Q8 e-tron
New name, improved driving range
- WLTP range of up to 600 km
- Four-wheel drive
- Available in standard or sportback
Four years after the introduction of Audi's luxury electric SUV, simply called e-tron, the Ingolstadt-based brand is sticking a Q8 badge on the boot lid on the occasion of the facelift. The technological improvements are interesting, to say the very least.
Improved aerodynamics
At first glance, the Audi Q8 e-tron isn’t strikingly different from the original e-tron. There is a slightly redesigned radiator grille with a different structure and closed instead of open rings on it. The bumpers have also been discretely reshaped and the model lettering with Audi logo on the B-pillar is new.
Audi claims to have tweaked the aerodynamics, though. This allowed the Cd value to drop from 0.28 to 0.27 for the Q8 e-tron. For its coupé derivative, the Q8 Sportback e-tron, the drag coefficient even drops from 0.26 to a very good 0.24. The wheel spoilers underneath the car help direct airflow around the wheels. The spoilers on the front axle were enlarged and the Audi Q8 Sportback e-tron now also has wind deflectors on the rear wheels. Around the grille, the Q8 e-tron is the first to have a "self-sealing" system, which improves airflow at the front of the car.
More efficient drive
As with the original e-tron, there is a choice of three drive variants with electric 4x4. The entry-level version is still called 50 e-tron and generates 250 kW and 664 Nm in boost mode. According to the WLTP, the SUV provides a driving range of 491 kilometres, a number that reaches 505 kilometres in the case of the Sportback. The battery capacity is now 89 kWh net.
The Audi Q8 55 e-tron has slightly more power and, more importantly, a bigger battery: it can store and release as much as 106 kWh. Power is 300 kW in boost mode for an unchanged 664 Nm of torque, while the driving range is 582 kilometres for the SUV and 600 kilometres for the Sportback.
Top of the bill is the SQ8 e-tron, which squeezes 370 kW from its three motors, in addition to 973 Nm of torque. However, an extra motor can only mean one thing: a slightly lower driving range. Expect 494 kilometres for the SUV and 513 for the Sportback.
Better charging performance
Thanks to a modification to the battery management system, usable capacity has also increased. On a fast charger, the Audi Q8 50 e-tron can now draw 150 kW. On the Q8 55 e-tron and SQ8 e-tron, the maximum charging power rises to a maximum of 170 kW. The large battery can be charged from 10 to 80 per cent SoC during a charging stop of about 31 minutes.
At an ordinary charging station or wallbox, the Audi Q8 e-tron charges with a maximum of 11 kW. However, you can pay extra for an on-board 22 kW charger. Charging time for the large battery is around 11 hours and 30 minutes at 11 kW and six hours at 22 kW. The Audi Q8 e-tron is equipped with the Plug & Charge function as standard. So at compatible charging stations, you no longer have to hold your charge card in front of the card reader: identification is automatic.
The Q8 e-tron and Q8 Sportback e-tron will be launched in spring 2023.
