Yahoo Autos 2024 Audi Q8 E-Tron revealed as E-Tron refresh with more range, new styling
It’s been four years since we first drove the Audi E-Tron, and today Audi’s electric SUV is getting both its first major refresh and a name change to go with it. Goodbye, E-Tron, and hello 2024 Audi Q8 E-Tron.
The name change arrives to bring the E-Tron in line with the electric Audi lineup now and into the future. See Q4 E-Tron as an example of what’s to come. Audi further explained the changing of its name in a press conference.
“That is in order to bring E-Tron into Audi’s new naming strategy, which will communicate very simply, very precisely and very clearly for our customers, the prestigious positioning as our highest-level electric SUV.”
What’s more important than what we’re going to call the Q8 E-Tron, though, are all the updates Audi has in store for the flagship SUV. The big news is a dramatic increase in range thanks to a more energy-dense battery pack and efficiency improvements throughout the vehicle. Instead of the 95 kWh battery pack it used previously, the Q8 E-Tron will feature a 114 kWh battery pack. The pack takes up the same physical space in the car, but uses a new stacking technology to stack cells in the pack, filling it more. Audi doesn’t have EPA range ratings to share with us quite yet, but representatives hinted that the number would be over 300 miles. For now, we have WLTP range ratings to look at. The regular Q8 E-Tron is rated at 362 miles, and the Sportback at 373 miles in the typically optimistic WLTP cycle. We expect the Sportback to slightly outpace the regular-shaped Q8 E-Tron here in America, too.
Another big plus for the Q8 E-Tron is its charging performance. Previously, the E-Tron maxed out at 150 kW charging speed on a DC fast charger. For 2024, the Q8 E-Tron will be able to manage 170 kW. This comes thanks to updates made to the battery management system — Audi says the battery can be charged from 10% up to 80% in 31 minutes under ideal conditions.
Also in the realm of powertrain improvements is a modified rear motor. Audi says that instead of 12 coils generating the electromagnetic field, it bumped the number to 14. This results in a stronger magnetic field from a similar electricity input, allowing for more torque and requiring less energy to produce said torque. The base model here in the U.S. will be the dual-motor (AWD) Q8 55 E-Tron. Maximum output in “boost mode” is 402 horsepower and 490 pound-feet of torque, which is the same as before — it’ll just require less energy to produce said power.
The more powerful SQ8 E-Tron and its three electric motors (two in the rear) produce 496 horsepower and 718 pound-feet of torque, which is the same output as before. The S model gains the same increase in battery pack size as the regular Q8 E-Tron. Just like before, range suffers with the extra power, as the WLTP predictions dip to 307 miles for the standard SQ8 E-Tron and 319 miles for the Sportback version.
