Electric range. And how it behaves.

The three big influences on your range.

The factors that impact an electric vehicle’s range are numerous. Examples include your personal driving style; the profile of the driving you’re doing; traffic conditions; environmental influences like temperature and weather; the vehicle’s condition; accessories fitted; the weight of a load and the use of auxiliary systems like air conditioning and heating.

Here, we focus on three of the biggest impacts, namely climate control, outside temperatures and driving profiles. However, planning ahead and adopting an economical driving style will have the most influence on range.

How does the outside temperature affect my range?

The chemical make-up of the Audi e-tron’s battery means that it’s at its most efficient when outdoor temperatures are at around 20°C. This is because the e-tron battery operates best at its optimal temperature range (between 20°C and 30°C), whereas colder outside temperatures require more energy to get it to its optimum. That’s why, when it’s excessively hot or cold outside, you’ll notice an impact on your mileage range.

Plus, you’re more likely to use applications like defrosting, heating and heated seats during cold weather (and air conditioning when it’s hot). Unlike combustion-powered cars that use heat energy lost from the engine to warm the car, all the energy comes from the battery. Therefore, you will notice your electric car giving you a lower mileage range during winter months. Take a look at our calculator to see how outside temperature can affect your range.

How do heating and air conditioning affect my range?

Most auxiliary systems in a car require electrical power from the battery, with heating and air conditioning consuming the most energy on an electric vehicle. In fact, up to 30% of an electric car’s mileage range can be used up in this way. Where possible, try to limit excessive heating or cooling, as the higher the settings, the more battery energy is consumed. We also recommend pre-heating or pre-cooling your car while it’s charging, you can do this remotely via the myAudi app remote features.

How do different driving profiles affect my range?

Like a conventional combustion-powered car, the type of driving you’re doing, such as motorway or city driving, will affect its energy consumption - and therefore its range. Unlike a combustion car, which is typically most efficient at constant speeds with less frequent acceleration, such as on motorways, an electric car is least efficient at the higher speeds achieved on these types of road. This is because the aerodynamic drag working against the car becomes proportionately much greater at high speed, which means it requires more energy. This, along with fewer opportunities to recuperate through braking will also have a significant effect on your range.

Conversely, city driving, with lower speeds and more chances to recuperate energy with more frequent braking and coasting, will help extend your range. However, if you complete multiple short city journeys without pre-heating or pre-air conditioning before you set off – the overall result may in fact be less range than driving in a steady state a longer distance.

When the electric motor is inactive while stationary in traffic jams, or while parked, there’s very little loss of charge. But, as we’ve seen above, outside temperatures and the use of auxiliary systems will affect your range even when stationary.

Plan ahead to maximise your range; adopt an efficient driving style and use the range calculator to factor in your distance and charge.

Range calculator >

Letting the car learn your range.

When you first collect your new electric Audi, it’s normal to notice a range figure that’s different to what you’d expect, even on a full charge.This is because the car needs to ‘learn’ your driving habits before it can calculate a more accurate mileage range.

How does the e-tron calculate my range?

The Audi e-tron uses an intuitive system to calculate your mileage range. It factors in energy consumption from previous journeys; whether it’s been stationary for long periods of time; and the other factors mentioned above that affect range.

Because the new car won’t have driven many miles, nor have much data on its new owner’s driving style, we therefore recommend that you drive it for at least 300 miles on your regular routes to allow the car to give you a more realistic estimate based on your driving profile.

How can I recalculate my range?

The car will always be recalculating the range based on previous driving data. We recommend driving at least 300 miles on your everyday journeys for the car’s system to gather sufficient data for a more accurate estimate.

Range calculator >

Maximising your range.

Depending on your circumstances, there are ways to improve the range you can achieve from your electric Audi. Have a look at these useful hints and tips on how to maximise your mileage.

Selecting a higher recuperation level

An electric Audi can harvest the kinetic energy generated by braking and coasting and convert it to an electric charge that’s channeled back to the battery. This is known as recuperation.

You can select the intensity of recuperation either automatically or manually. In automatic mode, the car decides when and how to recuperate by analysing the driving situation.

In manual mode, you can select three recuperation levels via a paddle on the steering wheel (standard on e-tron and e-tron Sportback – check model specific information). Selecting a stronger level will increase the recuperation intensity, harvesting more energy, and therefore maximising your range.

We’ve made an easy, short video to show you how to set your recuperation levels.

Selecting ‘Efficiency’ or range ‘Range’ mode

The Audi e-tron has an economical driving mode which helps maximise your range. ‘Efficiency’ mode changes settings to the drivetrain, transmission, air conditioning, cruise control (or optional adaptive cruise control) that will help extend your range.

In certain circumstances, like when running low on charge, you may wish to activate ‘Range’ mode. In this mode the car switches off all convenience functions (like heating, air conditioning and heated seats) and reduces power output and limits maximum speed (56mph on the Audi e-tron) to maximise your range.

Limiting heating and air conditioning

Heating and air conditioning are particularly power-hungry, impacting range by as much as 30%. By limiting them or switching them off, you can significantly improve your range. Tip: heated seats and heated steering wheels use less energy than the cabin heating system; on cold days you may wish to use just these to keep comfortable.

Pre-conditioning whilst on charge

Cooling or heating the vehicle while it’s being charged can improve the range significantly. Doing this before you start your trip will minimise the drain on the battery and, with the myAudi app, you can even initiate pre-conditioning from your phone. See how to do this with our easy video guide.