For the next 10 to 15 years plug-in hybrids will be the preferred choice for customers looking for a vehicle with some form of electrification and Car manufacturers are working hard to bring their new technology to market.
Audi is set to launch a full-electric SUV with a 500km (310 mile) range that will challenge Tesla’s Model X crossover. Audi wants to bring their full-electric SUV to market before the Tesla X crossover is introduced.
Plug-in hybrids are the right answer to balance urban journeys under electric power with an internal combustion engine for longer trips. Plug-in hybrids combine a gasoline or diesel engine with an electric motor. Audi’s first plug-in, the A3 Sportback e-tron, which went on sale in Europe in November last yar, can be driven using only electric power for up to 50km.
Still, a longer range and a successively improving network of fast-charging stations will help to boost the acceptance of EVs.
Audi will also introduce a large premium SUV with a range of more than 500km in early 2018. The model will have a new design that the company is developing for its EVs and plug-in hybrids, he said. It will be underpinned by Audi parent Volkswagen Group’s second-generation MLB platform that will offer weight savings, helping to boost its range.
Sources inside Audi AG say it will be based on the next Q5. It will have the e-tron badge that Audi uses for EVs and plug-ins. Audi’s new EV will also be able to get 80% of its charge in 20 minutes using a fast-charging station. China is developing a network of fast-charging stations covering 16,000km of highways by 2020 with a station every 50km. Other countries have similar initiatives, however Malaysia seems to sitting back and taking the wait see attitude for electric charging stations around the nation.
The EV will be Audi’s first foray into the mainstream market with an EV. The niche R8 e-tron supercar is the automaker’s only EV on sale currently. For the second-generation R8 e-tron, which debuted at the Geneva auto show, Audi doubled its range to 450km because of its new battery cells.
Audi’s new battery-powered SUV will have a longer range than the Tesla Model X crossover, which will go on sale shortly. The Model X has a range of up to 430km. Tesla this month began sales of a longer-range version of its Model S sedan with a range of 386km between charges.
