Electric Vehicles
Audi A2 e-tron Revives A Familiar Name With Efficiency As Its Calling Card
Audi's new electric compact can use as little as 12.8 kWh/100 km and travel up to 646 km on a charge, although those figures come from different versions.
Audi has revived the A2 name for an all-electric compact, but efficiency rather than outright performance is the headline. The new A2 e-tron can consume as little as 12.8 kWh/100 km on the WLTP cycle, making it the most efficient series-production Audi yet. That figure belongs to the 140-kW version with an optional efficiency package. The 170-kW version with an 84-kWh battery, meanwhile, can cover up to 646 km on a charge.
Four Power Outputs, Three Battery Sizes
The A2 e-tron will be offered with 125, 140, 170 and 240 kW outputs, with battery capacities of 52, 61 and 84 kWh. All versions use rear-wheel drive and permanently excited synchronous motors. The range-topping 240-kW model produces 545 Nm and can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.7 seconds.
The 140-kW model with the efficiency package is the consumption champion, with a WLTP figure starting at 12.8 kWh/100 km. It uses a 61-kWh LFP battery. The 170-kW model paired with the 84-kWh NMC battery is the long-range version, with a maximum WLTP range of 646 km. The 240-kW model uses the same 84-kWh battery and is rated for up to 630 km.
Audi has also paid close attention to aerodynamics. The A2 e-tron's drag coefficient is 0.24, the best figure in Audi's compact lineup. An active cooling-air intake, enclosed underbody, aero wheels and elements designed to reduce turbulence around the wheel arches all contribute to the figure. Audi says the aerodynamic changes can cut WLTP energy consumption by up to 0.9 kWh/100 km on the 140-kW car with the efficiency package.
It Still Has Room For Everyday Use
The A2 e-tron rides on a 2.77-meter wheelbase and offers 396 liters of trunk space, expanding to 1,336 liters with the rear seats folded. The 170- and 240-kW versions also get a 13-liter frunk. A 1.6-square-meter panoramic glass roof is available as part of the car's spacious, compact-crossover packaging.
The cabin gets Audi's MMI panoramic display as standard, combining an 11.9-inch Virtual Cockpit Plus with a 12.8-inch curved MMI touchscreen. Audi's AI-powered assistant and e-tron route planner are also standard, while the car gets features including adaptive cruise control, emergency brake assist, evasive assist, attention assist and parking system plus.
The A2 e-tron can also send electricity back out of its battery. Vehicle-to-Load allows external devices to draw power from the car, while Vehicle-to-Home functionality will initially be offered in Germany, Austria and Switzerland with a suitable DC wall box. The 84-kWh battery can accept up to 183 kW of DC charging and takes 29 minutes to go from 10 to 80 percent.
Audi Is Applying The Efficiency Idea To Production, Too
Audi says more than 300 components in the A2 e-tron can be made using recycled materials, depending on configuration, with more than 100 using post-consumer recycled material. The company is also using existing production equipment at its Ingolstadt plant, including more than 1,200 production components and around 250 robots already used for other models.
Audi says development of the A2 e-tron took 21 months less than comparable predecessor models. The car is built in Ingolstadt, where Audi is also introducing its “pearl chain” production principle, which sequences customer orders to simplify factory operations and reduce storage and sequencing work.
The A2 e-tron Is A European Car For Now
Audi will open German order books on September 10, with the first cars arriving at Audi partners in December. Pricing starts at €38,200 for the 125-kW model with the 52-kWh battery. The 61-kWh version starts at €41,900, while the 170-kW/84-kWh model costs €48,900. The 240-kW version tops the range at €51,200.
For U.S. readers, there's an important caveat: Audi says the A2 e-tron was specifically tailored to European customers. The launch announcement does not include a U.S. market introduction, so for now this is an interesting look at where Audi sees the European compact EV market going rather than a new model headed for American dealerships.