The original Audi e-tron is renewed and renamed Q8 e-tron

The four-ring firm began its commitment to electric mobility in 2018 with the e-tron, an SUV that four years later has now reached the halfway point of its commercial life cycle. With the aim of improving its competitiveness in a market with increasingly tough rivals, Audi has implemented numerous improvements in a renewed model; in addition to changing its name to better fit it into its range of electric vehicles within the e-tron family.

Audi will keep the two variants, SUV and Sportback, that already existed and that we will now know as Q8 e tron y Q8 e-tron Sportback. Likewise, the three available versions -50, 55 and SQ8- of both variants will come with quattro all-wheel drive as standard. The first two integrate a double electric motor and the last -the SQ8- with two motors on the rear axle and another one on the front, making this version the most radical of all.

The combined output of the SQ8 e-tron's three electric motors is 370 kW, according to the manufacturer, with a torque of 973 Nm. It is thus capable of reaching 100 km/h from a standstill. in just 4 and a half seconds, with a maximum speed of 210 km/h.

The mid-range version, the 55, combines an electric motor on each axle that together deliver 300 kW of power with a torque of 664 Nm. Acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h It stays at 5.6 seconds in this case, and its maximum speed is limited to 200 km/h.

Finally, the Q8 e-tron 50 reduces the combined power of its electric motors to 250 kW, while maintaining the same torque as the 55 version. The maximum speed is also the same, while reaching 100 km/h takes exactly six seconds, according to the manufacturer.

The Q8 e-tron debuts new battery technology

Aside from road performance, Audi says it has also improved the battery pack of these three available versions. The energy density of the cells it integrates is now 20 percent higher, which has led to the total capacity being increased. up to 114 kWh -104 kWh net- in the two top versions; while in the entry-level version it is 95 kWh -89 kWh net-.

On the other hand, the facelift that the new Q8 e-tron has undergone has allowed Audi to reduce the vehicle's aerodynamic coefficient. With a higher capacity battery pack and less wind resistance, it is not surprising, therefore, that autonomy has increased substantially. Something that, to tell the truth, was essential for this model to be able to compete in the market, since autonomy was until now its Achilles heel.

Audi claims the Q8 e-tron Sportback 55 is capable of travelling 600 km on a single charge, while the range for the SUV variant is 580 km. Likewise, with the entry-level version that is equipped with a lower-capacity battery pack, we can expect around 500 km of range for the Sportback variant and 480 km for the SUV. All these range figures are estimated under the WLTP homologation cycle.

Autonomy is no longer a problem, putting it on par with its rivals

Finally, we must mention the improvements implemented by Audi in the battery recharging process. The Audi Q8 e-tron includes an internal 11 kW charger as standard for alternating current recharging, with a 22 kW charger available as an option.

When recharging at a direct current fast charging point, The maximum supported power rises to 170 kW in the two top versions with the higher-capacity battery pack, while in the Q8 e-tron 50 it will be 150 kW. Audi claims that in the first case it is possible to reach 80 percent of the charge in 31 minutes, and in the latter the time required will be 28 minutes.

The first deliveries of the renewed Q8 e-tron are scheduled to take place in early 2023 in Europe. While other markets such as the North American one are expected to arrive somewhat later.