Audi Q4 e-tron concept

The Audi Q4 e-tron concept is a compact four-door SUV with two electric motors and 225 kW of system power along with quattro all-wheel drive. Acceleration from zero to 62mph takes 6.3 seconds with a top speed of 111mph.

A large battery with a capacity of 82 kilowatt hours gives a range of over 279 miles based on the WLTP cycle.

The Q4 e-tron’s modular electrification platform (MEB) will be integrated in numerous electric vehicles produced by the Volkswagen Group in the future, from the compact class to the medium-size class.

The Q4 e-tron concept gives an advance look at what will be the fifth series production electric vehicle that Audi will introduce by the end of 2020. Sales of the Audi e-tron have already started, with the first vehicles being delivered to customers before the end of March 2019. 

Later this year, the Audi e-tron Sportback will be presented, and the Audi Q2L e-tron, which was designed specifically for the Chinese market, will roll off the assembly line. The reveal of the production version of the four-door high-performance coupé Audi e-tron GT, which is being developed at Audi Sport GmbH, is planned for the second half of 2020. The compact Audi Q4 e-tron is to make its production debut at the same time. With this offer, Audi now covers all important market segments with all-electric drive vehicles, from the A segment to the full-size class, just under two years after the launch of the first electric car.

The modular electrification platform (MEB) offers a broad range of drive variants and power levels. The performance version of the electric drive is installed in the Audi Q4 e-tron concept. The front and rear axles are each powered by an electric motor – the Q4 is a quattro. There is no mechanical connection between the axles. Instead, an electronic control ensures that the torque distribution is coordinated optimally, and it does so in fractions of a second. That enables the electric SUV to achieve optimum traction in all weather conditions and on any type of surface.

In most cases, the Audi Q4 e-tron concept mainly uses its rear electric motor, in order to achieve the highest efficiency. For reasons of efficiency, the drive torque is generally distributed with a rear-axle bias. If the driver demands more power than the rear electric motor can supply, the electric all-wheel drive uses the front asynchronous motor to redistribute the torque as required to the front axle. This also happens predictively even before slip occurs in icy conditions or when cornering fast, or if the car understeers or oversteers.

The electric motor in the rear has an output of 150 kW and mobilizes a torque of 310 Nm; the front engine supplies the front wheels with up to 75 kW and 150 Nm. The system power is 225 kW. The battery in the vehicle floor stores 82 kilowatt hours, which allows for a range of more than 450 kilometres (279 miles) according to the WLTP standard. The battery is charged with a maximum of 125 kilowatts. As a result, it takes barely more than 30 minutes to return to 80 percent of the total capacity.

Audi launched its electric offensive with the world premiere of the all-electric SUV e-tron in September 2018. By 2025, Audi will offer twelve vehicles with all-electric drive in the most important markets worldwide and achieve roughly one-third of its sales with electrified models. The SUVs within this portfolio include the e-tron and the e-tron Sportback due to make its debut in 2019. In addition, there will be a range of models with classic silhouettes such as Avant and Sportback. The range will cover every relevant market segment from the compact class to the luxury class.

The Audi e-tron GT concept show car, a highly dynamic coupé with a low floor, made its debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show 2018. The technology in this automobile was developed in collaboration with Porsche. The project will be developed into volume-production models by the end of 2020.

The Premium Platform Electric (PPE) is a special joint project of the development departments at Audi and Porsche. It will be the foundation for multiple Audi model families with all-electric drive covering the high-volume B through D segments.