Audi’s New E-Tron – Quattro Silence

Published on 26th February 2019 at 09:11
The New Audi E-Tron - Front View

 

Audi’s new electric SUV – the Audi e-tron – has arrived in Ireland, the car maker's first fully electric model now available for test drive. Pricing for the e-tron starts from an on-the-road cost of €101,750 (Refer to notes below for more information on relevant government grants and incentives)with deliveries for pre-registered deposit holders beginning from April 2019. 

Propulsion for this full-size, dual-electric quattro SUV is via a 95kWh, 300kW, high-voltage battery, giving the new Audi e-tron silent, serious power and a range of up to 391 kilometres on one charge.

The-is new e-tron can attain up to 30 per cent of this long range through energy recuperation. The SUV combines three different methods of energy recuperation in one vehicle for the first time, manual coasting using the shift paddles, automatic coasting via the predictive efficiency assist, and brake recuperation.

The quattro drive, an electric all-wheel drive, ensures excellent traction and dynamics, providing for continuous and variable regulation of the ideal distribution of drive torques between the two axles – all within a fraction of a second. 

 

EV Grants & Incentives

There are several grants and incentives available for driving and owning electric vehicles. There are differences in some areas for Business users and Private users.

  • Owners of plug in Hybrid and full electric vehicles can apply to ESB eCARS for an access card to the public network of charge points. This allows them to avail of free public charging.
  • Some local authorities also allow for free parking when charging
  • Battery electric vehicles have an annual road tax of €120.
  • An electric vehicle tolling incentive, in place until 2022, will provide up to €500 annually in toll savings for electric private passenger vehicles.

There are also several formal government grant and rebate programmes that owners of electric vehicles can avail of:

  • The Home Charger Installation Grant: a €600 grant in place until the end of 2020, designed to assist with the cost of fitting a charger at home.
  • A Vehicle Registration Tax rebate of €5,000.
  • An SEAI Grant of between €3,800 for businesses and €5,000 for private customers.
  • Accelerated Capital Allowance of up to 100% of capital expenditure during the first year of energy efficient equipment purchase
  • An exemption from Benefit in Kind for battery electric business vehicles for 3-5 years on all costs in excess of €50,000.

See seai.ie for full details.