Deleting them apparently makes everything better.
German carmaker Audi is having a right ball ahead of the introduction of its new E-tron electric SUV. As much as it is a response to global mobility demands as it is a showcase of Audi’s engineering prowess, the company has been going through an exercise, slowly revealing little tidbits about the car as we lead up to launch. But today’s teaser is a bit confusing.
Audi claims that the E-tron will be the first car in the world to offer no side mirrors, as a camera system displaying live feeds into the cabin will be an available option. According to the company, the deletion of the side mirrors works in tandem with a million other small changes made to streamline the E-tron and reduce its drag coefficiency, ultimately resulting in a 0.28Cd, which is 0.04Cd more aerodynamic than the smaller Audi Q2.
Because of all that aerodynamic efficiency, the car’s driving range on a full charge is rated at 400km, whereas a car without those innovations would rate at just 377km.
Due to be revealed in August, the Audi E-tron is Ingolstadt’s answer to the growing electric crossover segment, led by the Tesla Model X and challenged by the Jaguar I-Pace. Capable of handling fast-charging of up to 150kW, provided by high-powered DC chargers (or HPCs). 30-minutes on one of these HPCs is enough to permit the E-tron to cover “the next long-stage of its journey,” though Audi stopped short of explaining just what that meant.
The E-tron will also be able to charge up using conventional sockets too, with a choice between a standard 11kW system and an optional 22kW system, as well as the usual 2.3kW option if you were to plug the car into a wall. The 11kW charge is achievable with the charger hooked up to a 3-phase power source (full charge in 8.5-hours). A dual-charger system with 22kW will shorten that time, with monitoring capabilities offers via the myAudi app.
For more information on Audi, check out our Showroom.
