How is the electric car that evolved thanks to chemistry?

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3 weeks ago

How is the electric car that evolved thanks to chemistry?

Just before the start of the coronavirus pandemic, Audi Argentina presented the e-tron in the country, its first 100% electric car of global reach. It represented a novelty in a practically virgin market for battery-powered cars: at that time, only Renault, with the Kangoo ZE, and Nissan, with the Leaf, offered models that ran solely with electricity in their batteries.

The mark of the rings thus became the first premium company to sell a vehicle with these characteristics in Argentina. That decision, more than an immediate business opportunity, represented stepping first on a field that sooner or later was going to grow.

In addition, it was part of a global strategy of the company that was accelerating the creation of new electric cars. Currently, it has practically a mirror range of models that have a combustion engine, including several SUVs, the new A6 sedan and the GT coupe.

This offer includes the renewal of the e-tron, which is now renamed Q8 e-tronsince all the German company’s battery-powered vehicles will be identified with even numbers. The odd ones will be left for hybrids and combustion.

The renewal of this model was announced very recently for our market, and in Clarion We already tested the Sportback version, which has a sportier.

Changes beyond the aesthetic

At first glance, this new Q8 does not seem to have undergone a major transformation. The proportions are the same and it seems to have received only cosmetic changes, with the new nose and new wheel designs. But the transformation of this electric car is much bigger than it seems.

To sum it up, before going into details, increased their autonomyimproved its efficiency, increased its dynamic qualities, improved the quality of life on board and was loaded with more technology. The result is a vehicle that takes ride comfort to the highest levels currently available in Argentina.

The increase in autonomy is directly related to the incorporation of a higher capacity battery. But we should not take this as saying that “they put a bigger battery in it”, as if they put a fuel tank with a capacity for more liters in a gasoline model. In this case what was changed was the battery chemistry since the space it uses is the same as before. However, the capacity increased from 86.5 kWh to 106 kWh.

To that we must add aerodynamic improvements. The most important of them has to do with the complete underbody fairing of this Q8, which allows air to pass cleaner underneath.

There are also new spoilers to direct air flow around the wheels and a rubber gasket has been incorporated around the grille shutter that opens and closes the air flow to the radiator. Due to the effect of air pressure, this gasket seals the slots that remain when the blind is closed to increase aerodynamic efficiency. The result is an improvement in Cx from 0.26 to 0.24.

In practical terms, this translates into a notable increase in autonomy. While the previous model claimed 400 kilometers on a charge, the current range rises to 600 km. In real life, this autonomy is 450 kilometerssince the approval values are carried out in laboratories and it is impossible to repeat them under normal conditions of use.

It also increased the ability to receive electricity: now it can charge with a power of up to 170 kWhwhich allows you to do faster recharges. In any case, the lack of infrastructure in the country continues to be a disadvantage. During the test, we used a powerful charger that the brand has in its Audi Lounge, which has the capacity to deliver 160 kWh. But in the best case, we managed to get the electrical grid to provide 60 kWh.

It still has a configuration of two motors, one on the front axle and one on the rear, which give it four-wheel drive. The power is the same as before: 408 horses that allow you to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.6 seconds and reach a maximum (limited) speed of 200 km/h. We must not lose sight of the fact that it weighs more than 2.5 tons when reading those values.

Comfort on board

But the other big change that the Q8 e-tron Sportback now has is in the user experience. That does not mean that the previous one was not good, quite the opposite, but it is simply now significantly improved.

The vehicle feels it more comfortable, more solid and more agile. Part of the explanations are found in changes that were made to the suspensions. In addition to the pneumatic suspension with controlled damping, which allows the vehicle to adapt to different road conditions, there are new materials in the connection of the suspensions with the chassis. Audi also talks about an “optimization of lateral dynamics”.

The steering has also been made more direct, which results in more efficient maneuvers and results in greater confidence for the driver.

All this creates a bubble in which you can lose track of speed very easily, since the acceleration power is great, but inside you do not perceive the vibrations or noises that are normally felt when traveling fast.

In that it helps evolution of driving assistance systems of this Audi. For example, without adaptive cruise control, it can automatically brake to maintain distance if the driver takes their foot off the accelerator. Or it recognizes, via GPS, that the vehicle is approaching a roundabout, and also slows down. Of course this can be cancelled. But why not take advantage of the advanced technology that this electric car offers.