We’re now five or so years into the mass shift towards complete electric vehicle adoption. Still, little has changed besides growing touchscreens, increased power, faster acceleration, and more complex all-wheel-drive systems. The Tesla Model S hit the road in June 2012 with around 420km of range and a 0-100km/h time of less than 5 seconds, and this is still the norm for nearly every electric vehicle you can buy today. Looking at the numbers alone, there hasn’t been much innovation.
Many thought we’d have solid-state batteries and fast-charging cars with a range exceeding 1,000km by now. However, that seems like all but a pipe dream for now.
It seems that most manufacturers are stuck on what to do next. On one end, the Chinese EV brands are in a race to the bottom with their pricing (or they’re making cars that twerk), and on the other end, the American brands are doing their best to re-release the same car over and over again, playing into the marketing trends.
European brands are at least attempting ground-breaking innovation. The Mercedes-Benz EQS is the world’s most aerodynamic car with a drag coefficient of just 0.20 Cd, and Audi’s new A6 Sportback e-tron is finally bringing us closer to the 1,000km range barrier with a seriously aerodynamic (and good-looking) vehicle that’s achieved 0.21 Cd after being subject to “over 1,300 simulations and countless hours in the wind tunnel.”
“From the very start of the project, we placed a high value on efficiency and range and pursued very ambitious goals, regarding the A6 e-tron. To be honest, in the beginning, we weren’t sure if we would be able to achieve the values we were aiming for. Getting to that last thousandth of a Cd value is the hardest part, but in the end, we exceeded our goals,” Lauterbach adds.
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The amount of thought, innovation, and engineering precision that has gone into this new car is impressive, with “every detail fine-tuned to the last millimetre.” Lauterbach and Ghelfi describe the overall concept as a balancing act, with everything from the floor to the rear spoiler and wheels playing an important role in reducing drag without impacting lift.
“The balance between the basic shape, rear height, rear contours, and underfloor design impact not only the car’s Cd value but also its lift. We achieved an ideal balance between lift and Cd by fine-tuning the underfloor as described,” said Matteo Ghelfi. “The Avant has an additional diffuser spoiler that compensates for the fundamental difference in aerodynamics between the Sportback and Avant silhouettes, which means that the underfloor airflow differs for the two A6 e-tron derivatives. This is another reason the Avant uses wider 3D bumpers to improve airflow around the front wheels.”
While EVs are often brushed to the side by petrolheads and enthusiasts, the engineering efforts of these luxury automotive brands have brought attention to some of the more exciting elements in developing these vehicles. For example, the switchblade cool-air intake under the frame helps the airflow around this area with fewer losses, bringing a Cd advantage of 0.012, the equivalent of about 12 km of range.
The result of all these efficiencies is a vehicle that can travel up to 750km on a single charge, in A6 e-tron performance specification with 100kWh battery pack. While these numbers have not been homologated for Australia, and Audi Australia is yet to confirm if we’re even getting this car, it’s highly likely they’ll remain the same in global markets.
If the A6 e-tron performance comes to Australia, it will claim the title as the EV with the longest range in the country. However, that title currently belongs to the base-model Porsche Taycan that offers 678km WLTP of driving range, priced from AUD$175,100 plus on-road costs.
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