It all comes down to the engineering under the skin of an electric car. The higher the voltage, the more ‘oomph’ and faster the energy can move. For context, traditional gasoline and diesel cars use 12V batteries to power basic electricity, while more advanced plug-in hybrids use 100V-200V systems designed for slow-paced home charging or 7kW fast public chargers. at 22kW.
The all-electric Audi e-tron and Audi Q4 e-tron have 400V electrical systems, allowing them to use public fast chargers that can recharge up to 125 kW on selected models. In the new Audi Q4 Sportback Sport 40 e-tron that lets you recharge from 5% to 80% in just 38 minutes, or gain 80 miles of range in just 10 minutes.
The Audi e-tron GT takes charging to another level. Using state-of-the-art 800V technology and ultra-fast charging at speeds of up to 270kW, it can add up to 62 miles of range in about five minutes or it can charge from 10% to 80% in just 20 minutes. That’s barely enough time to find, buy and drink a cup of coffee.
The UK charging network is growing fast. According to ZapMap, there are currently 26,000 charging devices in over 16,000 locations across the UK, and that’s only continuing to grow. (For comparison, there are only 8,380 gas stations). Charging speeds are also on the rise, with nearly 20% of devices being fast or ultra-fast chargers that can deliver huge range boosts in just a few minutes.
