My biggest gripe with the Audi E-Tron (besides its range) is that it is expensive. It starts at $74,800, hardly a price most people could pay for a car, let alone an electric car. Which is why I think we need more entry-level electric cars like the 2020 Audi E-Tron 50 Quattro.
The car is a UK-only offering at the moment, but it sounds like a decent idea and will slot beneath the standard E-Tron as an “entry level” Audi EV, according to the press release.
It’ll have a 71 kWh battery, two electric motors and a range of up to 186 miles, according to the WLTP European standards. EPA figures aren’t available, obviously, but they are not the same as WLTP ones. If anything, EPA figures generally tend to be lower.
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It’ll also have all-wheel drive with a combined system output of 230 kW (308 horsepower) and 398 lb-ft of torque. The standard E-Tron (the 55 Quattro), conversely, has a 95 kWh battery and puts out 355 HP and 415 lb-ft of torque.
The E-Tron 50 Quattro also has 120kW charging capabilities, so only about 30 minutes at a fast-charging station will replenish the battery to 80 percent.
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Audi didn’t announce a price or whether or not the smaller E-Tron will be heading stateside at this time, but I’m really digging this “entry level” talk. Sure, we need the EVs that have the 300-plus-mile ranges, but we also need ones that are smaller and thusly have lower price tags.
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Obviously, the E-Tron 50 Quattro won’t be cheap cheap, but it will represent a smaller-scale EV with a smaller-scale price. Rather than adding to the growing collection we have of expensive, long-range electric cars, we need ones more in line with the Nissan Leaf and the Kia Niro EV. They have shorter ranges so they’re designed for people who probably do a lot of local commuting. And they are priced more agreeably.
If we’re really to get more people on board with EVs, we need to start by making them more accessible.
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