Audi India prioritizes the development of a holistic EV ecosystem
Audi is making a gradual but surefooted transition to sustainable mobility with a slew of recent decisions accelerating this transition. Audi India launched five electric cars in India in 2021 and currently has the widest luxury EV portfolio in the segment. All six cars –the Audi Q8 50 e-tron, Audi Q8 55 e-tron, Audi Q8 Sportback 50 e-tron, Audi Q8 Sportback 55 e-tron, Audi e-tron GT and Audi RS e-tron GT – have received an overwhelming response and continue to receive sustained interest from customers. The brand currently has a strong order bank for the e-tron range, indicating robust demand for luxury electric cars. Customers who know the merits of going electric are not hesitating to make the shift and this is driving demand with first-movers.
Audi India has remained committed to creating a comprehensive EV ecosystem for the customers and recently inaugurated India’s first ultra-fast charging e-tron hub in Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), Mumbai. Conceptualized and developed in collaboration with ChargeZone, this ultra-fast charger boasts an impressive, total capacity of 450kW, to deliver 360kW of power to an electric vehicle and is enabled by a 500 amps liquid-cooled gun to ensure high performance and efficiency. In line with Audi’s focus on sustainability, the ultra-fast charging ‘e-tron hub’ is completely powered by green energy and has a solar roof that supports the functioning of peripheral electrical requirements including lighting the ‘e-tron hub’
Earlier this year, Audi India introduced ‘Charge my Audi’ on the myAudiConnect app – a one-stop solution that gives Audi e-tron customers access to multiple electric vehicle charging partners, all on one app. ‘Charge my Audi’ is an industry-first initiative that enhances convenience for customers. The application, powered by the Numocity Technologies eMSP roaming solution, currently includes five charging partners – Aargo EV Smart, Charge Zone, Relux Electric, LionCharge and Zeon Charging. Audi e-tron customers benefit from complimentary charging across the network (except on Zeon charging) till March 2024. Currently, 1,000 charge points are available to Audi e-tron owners on ‘Charge my Audi’ with more to be added over the next few months.
Audi India has successfully installed 140 chargers across 73 cities in India – this includes all Audi India dealerships, workshop facilities and select SAVWIPL Group brand dealerships located across strategic highways in the country to enhance ease of ownership.
In 2021, the global Board of Management announced a corporate strategy, ‘Vorsprung 2030’, which means a head start to 2030. More importantly, with this new strategy, Audi as a brand has announced a definitive timeline for the transition to electric mobility; this includes the launch of only EVs from 2026 and increased focus on software and autonomous technology.
The Indian EV market has witnessed steady traction in India and the brand is confident that the EV market will continue to grow in the coming months/years.