Electric Car
Frequently Asked Questions
Get answers to the most common electric vehicle questions.
Electric vehicle terminology
EV stands for electric vehicle referring to a car that relies solely on electric power and does not have an engine.
PHEV stands for Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles referring to cars that have both a rechargeable electric battery and an engine.
ICE stands for Internal Combustion Engine referring to a car that runs using only an engine.
A kilowatt-hour, or kWh, is a measure of electrical energy. If you switch on a 100 Watt lamp and leave it on for 10 hours, it will have used 1kWh of energy. When it comes to the battery size of an electric vehicle – the higher the kWh, the more energy it can store, so the more power you can expect the battery to deliver.
Electric battery FAQs
Audi has the most advanced and reliable high-voltage battery for daily use in electric cars. They’re made with our extensive expertise, using lithium-ion technology.
The lifespan depends on how the battery is used and the conditions it is used in. Audi Australia warrants the high-voltage battery for e-tron vehicles is free from manufacturing defects in material, or in the event of excessive loss of net battery energy* for a period of 8 years or 160,000km, whichever occurs first, from the date of delivery of the vehicle to the original retail customer for new vehicles, or date of first registration by the dealer for demonstrator vehicles.
Charging times will vary depending on the model. Use our clever calculator to estimate the charging time for your journey.
Audi offers battery health checks and can test the capacity and state of health (SOH) of your electric car’s high-voltage battery. Please contact your Audi Centre for more information.
Charging
Choose between charging your electric Audi at a public charger, located at service stations, supermarkets, shopping centres and even workplaces, or at home.
1. Choose a charging unit - either a home wall box or public AC charging unit (Type 2) or DC charger (CCS). DC chargers are for fully electric models only. If you’re using a public charging station, it is important to follow the instructions given on the unit or payment app.
2. Locate your cables. Electric vehicles come with a Type 2 (Mode 3) AC public charging cable. This is the cable that you will need for charging on a public AC charger or home wall box. Some public AC chargers may have a tethered cable, if this is the case you do not need to use your electric vehicle charging cable. If you are using a DC charger, you will need to use the cable tethered on the unit.
3. Connect the cable - one side of the charging cable easily fits into the charging point of the car and the other (if applicable) into the charger. The cars charging access point will remain open whilst the cable is connected.
4. Let the car charge - when the charging LED light begins to flash green, you know your Audi is charging. If you lock the car, the charge will continue and the cable will remain locked to the car until you return and unlock the car. Charging is complete when the charging LED light stops flashing and remains green.
5. Track the charge - you can track the charge progress using the myAudi mobile app (users will need to register a myAudi account ). You can also set charging targets and timers via the car’s MMI. If you need help, you can also watch our easy film guides below.
6. To stop the charge, just unlock the car and press the button to release the cable. If you’re using a public charging station, you may need to stop the process on the charging station unit or payment app first.
We recommend you review your Owner's Manual for model specific charging information.
Audi electric vehicles come with the 7.2kW Compact e-tron charging system – consisting of a control unit and 4.5m Type 2, Mode 2 charging cable with a domestic and industrial plug. LEDs on the control unit indicate the level of charge.
Please refer to the model specific information for the latest information.
AC (or alternating current) is the type of current supplied by the National Grid to our homes and work. It is most often supplied via a 3-pin socket. Because this current is easily accessible, it is the most common type of current used for electric vehicle charging infrastructure at home and on the public network. To charge using this current, your electric Audi uses a Type 2 plug. You can use the Type 2 (mode 3) AC charging cable that comes as standard with the car to charge with your home charger or AC public charger (if untethered).
DC (or direct current) enables faster charging, because it has a higher voltage. Only fully electric vehicles, just like our Audi e-tron, can charge using DC. This type of electricity is only accessible via specialised DC chargers, usually found on highways and some large retailers. All DC chargers will have specialist tethered cables attached to their units. To charge using this current, your electric Audi uses a CCS (Combined Charging Systems) plug (which is the EU standard and most common plug in Europe).
AC charging is often better for the longevity of an electric vehicle battery than DC rapid charging. Therefore, when using DC rapid chargers, charging the battery up to just 80% instead of 100% can help protect its lifespan. This will accommodate most everyday journeys and will protect your battery. If you’re going on a longer journey, it’s fine to fully charge the battery, as this generates the longest range.
Your lifestyle, journeys and distance requirements, as well as access to home, work and public charging stations, will all determine how quickly you need to charge and how often. Planning ahead is important, as it’s a different mindset.
Some people may travel longer distances and may be more reliant on the public charging infrastructure on their route. Whereas others may travel short distances the majority of the time. Allowing them to do their journey (or several journeys) on a single charge.
Before purchasing an electric vehicle, it’s important to take into account your daily route, and consider your access to home, work and public charging options. Find out more on electric vehicle charging or take a look at our charging easy guide films below.
An on-board charger enables an electric vehicle to charge on AC (Alternating Current). It is located inside the car and converts the AC power provided through the AC (Type 2 socket) charging point to DC (Direct Current) to charge the battery.
On board chargers will vary in their capacities which will impact the AC charging capabilities of a vehicle. For further information on a model’s AC charging capabilities and on-board charger options please refer to the model specific information below.
There are a number of factors that impact the charge time of the battery. Such as the power available at the charging station, the ambient and battery temperature, whether you are using the remote preconditioning feature, state of charge and battery ageing or if you have the auxiliary functions on while charging.
The charging curve also affects charging times. For example, charging will slow to protect the battery’s longevity once charging passes 80%.
For charging time information please refer to the model specific information below.
Outside air temperature and hot and cold weather are some of the environmental factors that can significantly affect the range and battery performance. The maximum range is reduced when ambient air temperature influences battery chemistry, affecting the efficiency with which chemical energy is converted to electrical energy within the battery. In winter periods and colder regions, this effect is more pronounced. On top of this, you’re more likely to use applications like heated seats, defrosting and heating in cold weather and air conditioning when it’s hot. All energy comes from the battery, unlike combustion-powered cars that use heat energy lost from the engine to warm the car.
Charging will begin once the green LED light indicator begins to flash. Once the green light is constant, the car is fully charged or has reached its charging target.
It is. While charging on rainy days, the vehicle is designed to be safe. Although, make sure you don’t allow excess water to get into plugs or sockets, as they are not designed to be immersed in water.
Home charging
Using the home charging system is the most convenient way to charge an EV. To ensure a full charge when you wake up, EV drivers tend to charge overnight (when tariffs are lower for most electric vehicles).
The position of your home fuse box or meter, will determine the installation of the home charging system. Groundworks may be required for installation in some cases.
The recommended EV charging installation partner for Audi is JET Charge – one of Australia’s largest EV charging infrastructure specialists. JET Charge have made the installation process easy by combining the home assessment and installation into one process.
The location of the home charging system will depend on the position of electricity points (such as a home fuse box or meter) and how the car is parked.
Public charging
Audi Australia has partnered with the Chargefox Ultra Rapid charging network. With thousands of plugs, the Chargefox network includes standard AC (22kW), fast (50kW) and ultra-rapid chargers (350kW), capable of delivering up to 400kms of range in 15 minutes.
Watch our Audi e-tron public charging video guide, showcasing everything you need to know from charging speeds to step by step instructions.
Visit Chargefox.com to find charging stations in your area.
There are safeguards built into the system to warn you when your charge is low. For example, on the Audi e-tron models, you will be warned when you reach an estimated 62 and 31 kms remaining. As the remaining range gets lower, the car will turn off some of the features that can impact the range, like the air conditioning, and seat heating, to preserve the maximum range.
When your electric vehicle displays a range of 0 kms and the vehicle comes to a stop, there is an emergency mode to allow the vehicle to be moved to a safe location. This emergency mode allows approximately 100 metres of driving and is accessed by switching off the ignition and restarting the car. Rest assured that if you do run out of charge, all new fully electric Audi models come with 6 years of complimentary roadside assistance.
Servicing and maintenance
The e-tron and e-tron Sportback require servicing every 2 years or 30,000 km - whichever is sooner.
Audi e-tron come with 6 years Scheduled Servicing which covers routine scheduled servicing for an extensive period of 6 years or 90,000km (whichever comes first), this includes Audi Genuine Parts and labour. The scheduled service period is every 30,000km or every 2 years (whichever comes first) and is performed by Audi trained technicians using the latest Audi diagnostic equipment ensuring your e-tron maintains maximum performance and efficiency.
Depending on driving behaviour and the age of the car, typical parts affected by wear and tear can be tyres, brake pads and discs, and wiper blades.
Tyre consumption may be higher due to higher weight and torque, but this will vary depending on driving style.
Any authorised Audi dealer nationwide can provide scheduled servicing and basic repairs for an e-tron model. A specialist e-tron dealer must carry out any High-Voltage diagnosis and electrical work.
Electric driving range
There are ways to improve the range you can achieve from your electric Audi, depending on your circumstances. You can improve range significantly by, for example, selecting efficiency mode, selecting a higher recuperation level, limiting heating and air conditioning, or turning off cooling or heating features while the vehicle is being charged.
While electric Audi are stationary (for example, in traffic jams), minimal electrical power is consumed. There’s very little battery charge loss (approximately 3% of charge is lost per month), if the car is parked for a long period of time. However, it will have an effect on the range if systems that use electricity, such as the lighting, infotainment system and the air conditioning are switched on.
Yes, the energy recuperation system of Audi electric vehicles has the ability to recuperate energy. It does this by recovering energy from the wheel axles and converting it to an electric charge, the additional energy is then stored directly in the high-voltage battery. Audi electric vehicles can recuperate up to 30% more energy.
• Deceleration (“One-Pedal”) Recuperation - Once you release the accelerator pedal, the electric motors act as a generator converting a large proportion of the car’s kinetic energy into electrical energy which is stored in the high-voltage battery and increases the battery’s range.
• Brake recuperation - This happens automatically when you press the brakes. The kinetic energy that was propelling the car forward escapes. But instead of being wasted as heat, kinetic energy is recovered from the wheel axles and is turned into an electric charge. In turn, this energy recharges the car’s electric battery and increases range. When you need to come to a stop quickly, the car will switch from recuperating using the electric motor to using the brake discs to slow you down, the transition between the two is seamless.
You can select the intensity of recuperation either automatically or manually. In automatic mode, the car decides when and how to recuperate by analysing the driving situation. In manual mode, you can select three recuperation levels via a paddle on the steering wheel (standard on e-tron and e-tron Sportback – please check model specific information for other models). Selecting a stronger level will increase the recuperation intensity, harvesting more energy, and therefore maximising your range.