Audi e-tron

Having spent a solid day behind the wheel of the 2021 Audi E-Tron, it's hard not to be impressed by some of the technical detail that underpins Audi's new electric SUV. Like Tesla's over the air updates and clever app-based controllability, BMW's extensive use of recycled materials inside the i3, and the way Nissan is looking to repurpose old Leaf electric hatch batteries as fixed power solutions in another life, electric vehicles bring with them a different way of thinking.

Audi is researching the possibility of using electric vehicles to supply power back into homes. The company says the increasing adoption of fully-electric passenger cars means they can be used as 'mobile storage energy units', capable of supplying the energy grid when there's increased demand.

German car maker Audi has announced its ‘Artemis Project’ for autonomous electric car development, that will see the brand release a new electric model as soon as 2024. The Artemis Project is an undertaking of Audi’s new CEO Markus Duesmann to “focus on new technologies for electric, highly automated driving,” and a step towards the brand’s goal of having 75 electric models by 2029.

Audi has whipped the covers from the second member of its e-tron battery-electric family, which is unsurprisingly a coupe-style crossover SUV called the Sportback. Given it's been revealed a few days after Ford's hyped new Mustang Mach-E – a conceptually similar offering if ever there was one – it's hard not to draw parallels.

The Audi e-tron 50 Quattro will be the electric crossover's new entry-level model when it launches in Europe next year. All-wheel drive capability comes courtesy of an electric motor for each axle. Together they give the e-tron 50 a total of 230kW of power and 540Nm of torque. Both motors are hooked up to a 71kWh battery pack. According to the WLTP test cycle, the crossover will have a range of 300 kilometres per charge.