For a very long time Tesla seemed to be the only company in the world effectively and successfully working on electric vehicle production. However, just like any success story, now the company is slowly facing increasing competition as other car manufacturers are recognizing the growing market for electric vehicles.
Audi, the world-famous luxury carmaker with origins in Germany, has unveiled its upcoming all-electric car called the e-tron, challenging the market leader Tesla with its comparable quality of product. The car is scheduled to be released sometime in Spring 2019, and is being called a game changer by the senior management of the company.
For a very long time Tesla seemed to be the only company in the world effectively and successfully working on electric vehicle production.
So far, there isn’t much that has been disclosed by Audi about its upcoming EV. This could be because the car has not received its certification by the Environmental Protection Agency, something that Tesla cars have already done.
However, even with very little information, experts have been able to guestimate the mileage of the E-tron to be somewhere around the 300 miles per single charge, which is almost at par with even some of the high-end Tesla vehicles.
But that is not to say that the E-tron would be competing with the high-end Tesla Model X, which has more to offer to its customers at almost the same price. Although this fact would be concerning for any competitor trying to shake up a major player in the market, Audi seems unfazed. In fact, according to Scott Keogh, who is the President of Audi in the US, the difference is insignificant enough to be irrelevant to the customers.
experts have been able to guestimate the mileage of the E-tron to be somewhere around the 300 miles per single charge, which is almost at par with even some of the high-end Tesla vehicles
Keogh is not too concerned about the Audi not faring as well or even better than the existing Tesla models in terms of its range. According to him, what matters by the end of the day is not the range of the vehicles rather the experience they have to offer to the users.
The Audi car will come with a price tag of $74,800 for the most basic model, and customers will be able to make their booking for the same with an initial deposit of only a thousand dollars, making them the first ones to receive the newest Audi offering when it hits the market next Spring. The peak trim level for the vehicle would start at a modest $86,700, which means that you can get all those cool Audi features in the e-tron for a very modest price as well.
To make it easier and more acceptable for users to purchase electric vehicles without compromising on convenience, Audi plans to collaborate with the e-commerce giant Amazon and bring EV charging stations to the homes of the car owners.
Installation of charging stations at home would also be offered by the companies to make the entire process as seamless as possible. Audi E-tron owners would be able to charge their cars up to 80% within only half an hour at the high-speed chargers installed for the public around the country.
Audi plans to collaborate with the e-commerce giant Amazon and bring EV charging stations to the homes of the car owners
However, a question that remains on the minds of many is whether Audi has done enough to take a share out of Tesla’s dominance in the market. For Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, entrance of other carmakers in the EV industry is a welcome step since that would ignite the movement necessary to create more acceptability for electric vehicles in the market.
For example, as more number of people switch to electric cars, more superchargers would start popping up all over the country, making it easier for people to stop and charge their cars no matter where they are on the road.
As for Keogh, he also expects that the market for premium Electric cars would only grow in the future, and Audi is fully geared to be a fiercely competitive force in that environment.
