Audi e-tron gets additional 20 km range via software update

Audi has added an additional single charge range of up to 20 kilometres for its e-tron 55 quattro electric car via a new software update in the international markets. Audi e-tron customers of model year 2019 and 2020 will be eligible for this update and be able to enjoy an increased range in long journeys. The update can be installed free of cost by visiting the Audi service centers.

That's not all. With this update, the German automaker has also expanded the usable capacity of the high-voltage battery of the electric vehicle, as a result the 95 kWh battery in the Audi e-tron 55 quattro delivers more net usable power – 86 kWh capacity, therefore resulting into increased range. The software update can be installed in all Audi e-tron 55 quattro production vehicles built between mid-September 2018 and the end of November 2019.

The new software update also optimizes the control of the front electric motor, resulting in improved efficiency. The front electric motor is now almost completely disconnected and powered off – and only when more power is needed do both motors come into play. This makes it possible to even more effectively exploit the major advantage of the asynchronous motor concept.

Further, the new OTA update also improves cooling inside the vehicle. The highly flexible thermal management system, which consists of four separate circuits, regulates the temperature of the high-voltage components even more efficiently. Audi says that by modifying the vehicle's control system, it became possible to reduce the volume flow rates in the coolant circuit, thus reducing energy consumption. The cooling system forms the basis for fast DC charging, long battery life, and consistent driving performance.

Audi has already surpassed 100,000 units in sales of the e-tron 55 quattro electric car. The model even became the best-selling car across all drive types last year in Norway.