The Audi Q8 e-tron 55 is the premium carmaker’s answer to range anxiety as the vehicle took Manila-Baguio-and-back on a single charge
The rise of electric vehicles is upon us. Carmakers for the past several months have barraged us with a number of new vehicles, which are mostly on the electrified spectrum. And truly the sales of these EVs have been growing exponentially in the local scene.
“Yes, I love it. I am very much happy with this electric vehicle I am driving right now,” shared George, the person this writer randomly chanced upon at the charging station located along Vermosa Boulevard in Imus, Cavite just recently.
“It has quality. It’s reliable. It’s everything I’ve been looking for in a daily driver. I take my kids to school with it since we’re just around the area. Plus, it gives me big savings since I don’t have to fuel it up,” he added.
When asked–however–if he had taken his newly-bought EV to an out-of-town trip, his once cheery face all of a sudden crumpled to a frown, followed by a long hollow pause.
“Actually… I haven’t,” he replied.
This was immediately followed by the usual inevitable answer of: “This is because of range anxiety.”
“I just don’t think we have enough infrastructure outside Manila.”
Audi PH’s answer to range anxiety
The thing is, even with the gargantuan efforts provided by companies in bringing in the whole ecosystem for electric vehicles in the country–still– we can’t deny the fact that we are in the first few stages of EV adoption. And just like anything in its early stages, it’s still raw, unpolished and faced by an insurmountable wall of doubt and ignorance.
Audi Philippines–however–has answered this with a recent media drive activity.
Dubbed: “The Audi Experience Drive,” the activity allowed local journos and EV advocates to experience the 100-percent electric Audi Q8 e-tron 55’s long-range capability.
Aspiring to showcase the luxury electric vehicle’s capability of covering long distances on a single charge, organizers brought the participants from Audi Philippines’ facility in Greenhills, San Juan in Metro Manila all the way to Baguio and back.
First, the participants had their respective Q8 e-tron 55 units 100-percent charged using the charging stations within the facility.
From there, they traversed the northern expressways on the way to Baguio City for an overnight stay. The following day, the group headed back, braving both inclement weather in the mountaintop city and rush-hour traffic in Metro Manila.
And take note, the vehicles they drove were not charged at any point during the whole trip.
Yet, upon arriving back at Audi Philippines in San Juan, all the Q8 e-tron 55 SUVs had more than enough battery charge to spare, proving the prowess of the electric vehicle’s real-world driving range.
The entire Manila-Baguio-Manila trip covered a distance of more than 526 kilometers. Participants tackled driving conditions ranging from the humidity of the lowlands to the wet, cold weather of the mountains, cruising speeds across the expressways to stop-and-go traffic in the cities, and flat terrain to winding ascents and descents.
This just showed that the premium carmaker can walk the talk with its vehicle, which produces a total of 408hp and 664N-m of torque and sports a 114k-Wh battery pack that can cover a 582-km range.
Other than this, participants were able to experience one ‘luxurious drive’ during the whole trip. The luxury EV sports a suite of luxurious features and intuitive technologies, that go along with an unmatched level of riding comfort.
For one, Audi’s legendary Quattro all-wheel drive system guaranteed absolute control and traction on wet and winding mountain roads.
Another is the EV’s air suspension system with controlled damping, which allows driving over imperfect surfaces smoothly as it adapts to different road conditions instantaneously.
Inside, they basked in the vehicle’s Valcona leather seats with three-stage ventilation, four-zone automatic air conditioning and air quality package, and the multiple seat and backrest adjustment options. The seats’ massage function further guaranteed comfort all throughout the trip.
The advanced MMI touch response operating system made various infotainment, vehicle, navigation, and comfort functions easily within reach. Complementing this is the Audi virtual cockpit that has a full HD display with graphics showing electric driving information, such as charge status and range, not to mention combining this with premium ‘eargasmic’ sounds from Bang & Olufsen audio system.
Surely, there are more other premium features to mention, but the one point proven during the whole activity was that Audi Philippines can remedy the concern of range anxiety with a touch of luxury in everyday driving.
