There’s good news for owners of Audi e-tron electric cars because the 2019 or 2020 model years can now travel farther on a single charge. A new software update will extend their car’s range by up to 20 additional kilometres. This equates to an approximate range increase of five percent.
This means that Audi isn’t limiting efficiency increases to new models, but also boosting the efficiency of cars already on the road. The update is now available and can be installed at Audi service centres and will cover 34,000 Audi e-tron 55 quattro electric vehicles (EVs).
As a result, the current model year Audi e-tron 55 quattro can travel up to 274 miles (441km) on a single battery charge. This software update for all Audi e-tron 55 quattro can now be installed free of charge at Audi service partners.
In addition to modified hardware, optimised software was the main factor contributing to the range increase. Effective immediately, the software features behind this efficiency enhancement are also available for existing vehicles.
Among other improvements, the update expands the usable capacity of the high-voltage battery. As a result, the 95 kWh battery in the Audi e-tron 55 quattro delivers more net usable power. It can now use 86kWh of capacity that translates into an increased range.
In addition to the battery capacity, the new software also optimises the control of the front electric motor. In normal driving mode, the motor attached to the rear axle is responsible for propulsion. For improved efficiency, the front electric motor is now almost completely disconnected and powered off.
Only when more power is needed do both motors come into play. This makes it possible to more effectively exploit the major advantage of the asynchronous motor concept, meaning currentless operation without electrical drag losses.
The update also improves cooling. The highly flexible thermal management system, which consists of four separate circuits, regulates the temperature of the high-voltage components even more efficiently.
Modifying the control system has made it possible to reduce the volume flow rates in the coolant circuit, thus reducing energy consumption. The cooling system is the basis for fast DC charging, long battery life and consistent driving performance, even under high loads.
