I had the opportunity to attend the unveiling of the Audi A6 e-tron concept. The globally unique concept vehicle with a notchback is currently in Switzerland and presents the new technology architecture: the Premium Platform Electric, kurz PPE. I would like to pass on some points that are relevant to me here. In particular, it should also be noted that the vehicle is also coming onto the market as an Avant (station wagon) and the concept variant is very close to the production version.
This is what the Audi A6 e-tron concept looks like with Sportback
Premium Platform Electric
What was particularly interesting for me as a techie was the technical information and the exchange with Audi regarding the new PPE platform. After the MEB platform, it is the second pure platform for fully electric vehicles and is correspondingly scalable; the development took place together with Porsche. It will serve as a basis for vehicles in the B and C segment (A6) and the heart of the platform is the 800V battery. The technology enables higher charging performance thanks to the higher voltage and new thermal management. Audi speaks of 270kW peak power and a charging time of just 25 minutes to go from 5% to 80% SoC. These are top values, especially when you take into account that we are talking about a 100kWh battery.
The A6 concept has two engines installed with 340 kW total power and 800 Nm torque. According to Audi, the WLTP range should be up to 700 kilometers. At 100kWh gross, I assume around 95kWh net capacity. That would be an average consumption of 13.6kWh/100km and rather unrealistic in practice, with the design and drag coefficient you could probably achieve consumption of 16-17kWh/100km. That would give a realistic range of almost 600km, which would be great.
Audi A6 e-tron concept in Switzerland – 01
Audi A6 e-tron concept Highlights
In the concept study, the e-tron A6 Sportback measures 4.96 meters long, 1.96 meters wide and 1.44 meters high. What immediately stands out are the dominant lights, as well as the continuous strip of lights at the rear. This emphasizes the relationship to the other electrically powered Audis in the e-tron fleet.
I find the installation of three small, high-resolution LED projectors on each side of the body exciting and very innovative. Dynamic lighting displays greet the inmates, which is nice. The ingenious thing is the integration of security functions. The projectors also produce warning symbols on the ground – for example to symbolize a planned turn to pedestrians and cyclists.
A drag coefficient of just 0.22 for the Sportback is exemplary in the electrically powered C segment. In the Avant with a wide roofline, the drag coefficient is only 0.02 units higher. Low air resistance – this initially means lower energy consumption and thus an improvement in range.
Front des A6 e-tron concept
Conclusion
According to Audi, the first series models based on PPE will come onto the market in 2023. The A6 presented here will probably be available in mid-2024. Bidirectional charging will also be an issue at Audi and is following developments in the market. It should be great news, especially for fans of station wagons, that the popular A6 Avant is also coming onto the market in similar dimensions as an e-tron on a purely electric car platform. I’m pleased…