Trying to not get grounded with the puns, the frequency of the launches of all-new electric vehicles from various brands in all sorts of configurations shouldn’t be shocking anymore. With the massive global movement to go carbon neutral by a huge number of mega-marques in the next few years, and well, having to jump on the bandwagon to stay competitive, we are now totally plugged in on this EV era.
Logically though, being among the first to bring in and roll out EVs in the country doesn’t hold much of an advantage, as we know that technology advances significantly even within a short span of time, and that the ones that are released the latest are the ones that usually bear the cutting edge of tech and innovation.
But it’s a different story when a car brand already at the forefront of exceptional performance and engineering fully embraces clean-energy mobility, and churns out the most extensive line of 100% electric vehicles in the Philippines. This is what Audi achieved with the recent launch of the Q8 e-tron SUVs. As Audi’s flagship model among SUVs and crossovers, the Q8 e-tron’s three variants, the e-tron 50, the e-tron 55, and the e-tron Sportback, join the electrifying ranks of Audi EVs: the e-tron GT, and the RS e-tron GT; So it comes as no surprise that Audi holds the record of the highest deliveries of 100% electric vehicles in the premium luxury category in the country to date.
Dunking the misconceptions
Let’s be honest, it’s not everyday that a premium luxury brand offers up its latest nameplate to the public to test drive, let alone submerge it in 600mm of water. Oh yeah, and it happens to be an EV, too. And that’s the main point actually. While you can sign up for a drive around BGC where Audi mounted its Q8 e-tron test drive experience and drive it on road conditions that you’d expect it to perform flawlessly, you get to drive it on camber-twisting ramps designed to showcase the Q8 e-tron’s excellent structural rigidity and all-wheel drive capability (to drive you forward confidently when only 3 or even just 2 wheels are in contact with the road). And well, to dispel the myth that you’d get cartoonishly fried when you drive an electric vehicle through deep water.
Well in an Audi Q8 e-tron, you won’t. With an entry angle into the pool that any driver would wince at, with the grille parting water like a yacht’s bow, it’s quite an impressive sight. You’d be glad to know that its high-capacity battery is fully sealed from the elements and its dual electric motors are well protected- no pistons to seize or air intakes and exhaust pipes that can suck in water as with an internal combustion engine’s.
But viability and unmistakable luxury aside, the Audi Q8 e-tron is also designed to exhilarate. Its mid-variant, the e-tron 55, pushes out 408 hp and 664 Nm of Torque, and has a range of 582 km when fully charged. Its top tier e-tron Sportback variant even reaches 600 km with the same power output. With the latest driver-centric innovations and a plethora of new safety and comfort features, the Q8 e-tron is set to keep Audi’s lead on EVs at high voltage. – Ardie O. Lopez