ABB has announced they’re teaming up with Audi and JET Charge to offer the latest in high power electric vehicle (EV) charging to support the release of Audi’s first fully battery-electric vehicle into the Australian market.
To ensure a premium charging customer experience, Audi has selected to install ABB’s Terra HP high power charger at its main Audi Customer Centres in Melbourne and Sydney.
Providing a 175kW DC charging power, the Terra HP can charge a vehicle to 80% in 30 minutes and to 100%in 45 minutes, enabling a range of 200 kilometers in as little as 8 minutes.
The Audi e-tron has two electric motors with a total output of 300kW and 664Nm of torque and has a 0-100km/hr of 5.7 seconds. The car is rated for 400km+ on a single charge. It is also comfortable charging its 95kWh battery at home using normal 240 volt AC power in a “top up” scenario.
Australian charging network Chargefox, who regularly use ABB chargers, announced back in June that Audi e-tron owners would get 6 years of free charging on their network.
“The rapid charging capability of the all-new Audi e-tron required our dealers to be equipped with chargers that were up to the job.”
Our existing partnership with JET Charge allowed us to choose ABB as a preferred supplier for our fast-charging infrastructure. Thanks to this arrangement, we look forward to offering our customers the very best charging experience.”.
Sophie Powell, Network and Innovation Manager at Audi Australia.
JET Charge will be installing the chargers at Audi’s customer centres and is Audi’s recommended EV charging infrastructure partner across Australia.
“With over 10 years expertise in the EV charging market, ABB is the perfect partner for both JET Charge and Audi to jointly deliver on the future of e-mobility in Australia,”
Tim Washington, Director, JET Charge Australia.
ABB has a high profile in the EV space, largely thanks to their sponsorship for the FIA Formula E Championship series which helps promote the electrification of motorsport to a global audience.
Since entering the EV-charging market a decade ago, ABB has sold more than 14,000 ABB DC fast chargers across more than 80 countries.
“As part of our Mission to Zero, ABB Electrification is at the forefront of developing smart and sustainable technology for the future of transportation and we are delighted to be collaborating with Audi and JET Charge to offer Audi customers the best EV experience.”
David Sullivan, Head of Electrification, ABB Australia
techAU takeaway
Those paying attention to the charging space will note this is down from the 350kW charging on offer at some fast charging locations in Australia. There’s a couple of reasons for this. The first reason is that the maxium charging rate supported by the Audi e-tron is 150kW, so anything more may be considered a waste.
The second reason would be cost. Higher rates of charging require more electricity and if you’re going to draw that from the grid, there are additional costs associated with that. Equally, if you’re going to source the power from renewables like solar and store it on site, then you’re likely to see even higher costs for inverters, battery storage etc.
When building infrastructure that will be there for decades, it is important to consider the future. Locking into 150kW now suggests we won’t be seeing a higher rate of charging in future vehicles, at least not for a while.
The Audi e-tron is certainly priced at the premium end fo the market, with a starting at a price of $149,778.80 (driveaway) for the 50 quattro model, and spanning up to $183,381.19 for the 55 quattro First Edition in the Sportback variant.
Regardless of the price, any new electric entrant in the Australian market is appreciated. I’d love the chance to review the car as soon as COVID permits.
