drive
Audi’s electric ambitions
The Audi A3 Sportback e-tron. The plug-in hybrid is the ninth most popular electric vehicle in the world. – AFP/Relaxnews pic, November 20, 2015.Audi has set itself the ambitious target of convincing one in four of its US customers to go electric.
Speaking at the LA Auto Show Audi of America president Scott Keogh announced that its plug-in hybrid, the A3 Sportback e-tron, would be going on sale in North America before the end of 2015 and set out the brand's plans for the decade ahead.
"We are, in full force, joining the electric revolution," said Keogh. "Now is the time to make electric driving more available to the mainstream."
Although currently unavailable in the US, the Audi A3 e-rron is the ninth most popular electric vehicle globally – over 7,000 have been sold in the year to date according to Jato Dynamics.
That is not a huge amount, especially considering that in 2014 alone, Audi clocked up sales of over 180,000 vehicles in US and that Keogh is aiming to make electric cars 25% of that total within the next 10 years.
In a comprehensive report published to coincide with this year's LA Auto Show, Jato Dynamics examined the current state of the electric vehicle market and the obstacles the technology still must overcome in order to become a mainstream alternative to the internal combustion engine.
"From Fiction to Reality: The Evolution of Electric Vehicles 2013-2015" paints an optimistic but cautious future for electric and plug-in hybrid cars.
Demand has grown over 40% over the past year but global sales will need to grow by a further 250% before they represent just 1% of the total car market.
It also notes that while uptake has been positive in the US, low fuel prices and a lack of infrastructure and vehicle style – the Tesla Model X is the only full electric SUV available in the country – means that even by 2025, the US is only expected to account for 800,000 electric vehicles, or 16% of forecast global sales.
Audi's plan to overcome these hurdles is to build a 150 kw fast charging network, like Tesla, and, once it is finished, launch a plug-in electric SUV of its own, the e-Tron Quattro.
Set to debut in 2018, it will be able to cover 200 miles following a 30-minute charge at one of Audi's charging stations. Audi then hopes to use the model's success as a platform for launching more and more varied plug-in cars in the years that follow. – AFP/Relaxnews, November 20, 2015.
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