Audi Q4 E-Tron Electric Crossover Concept With 280-Mile Range Debuts at Geneva Motor Show

The production model will be built on the Volkswagen Auto Group's "MEB" modular electric vehicle platform, and will be the first Audi EV based on said platform sold in the West. When it arrives in dealerships during the second half of 2020, the Q4 E-Tron will be Audi's fifth EV on the market, after the E-Tron, E-Tron Sportback, E-Tron GT, and China-only Q2L E-Tron.

Being an Audi, the Q4 E-Tron likely won't address American buyers' biggest hangup about buying EVs: price—although it should answer the second: range and daily usability. On WLTP testing protocols favored by Europe and much of Southeast Asia, the Q4 E-Tron is touted as capable of returning at least 280 miles (450 kilometers) of range on a full charge, 80 percent of which can be recuperated in about a half hour on a 125-kilowatt fast-charger.

As for the battery itself, it's an 82 kWh unit with full thermal management, mounted in the floor to lower the tall Q4 E-Tron's center of gravity. As such, the Q4 E-Tron may have handling capabilities that far exceed expectations for a vehicle of its class, aided by compact MacPherson strut front suspension, and independent, multilink rear.

Also in the rear is the principal electric motor used by the Q4 E-Tron. It's a permanently excited synchronous motor that will handle the majority of day-to-day driving, its 201 horsepower and 229 pound-feet of torque more than adequate for passing on the highway. If its power isn't enough, a second motor on the front axle will wake up, boosting the Q4 E-Tron's peak power output to 302 all-wheel horsepower. Flatten the accelerator from a stop, and this power is good for a 0-to-60 time of about 6.3 seconds. Given an Autobahn (or Californiabahn), the Q4 E-Tron can hit an electronically limited maximum speed of 112 mph.