Moreover, with Audi and its partners also reportedly making efforts to bring the production of the latest battery technology to Europe, it is apparent that the key objective behind the partnership is to enable Audi to produce an all- electric SUV which can challenge Tesla’s upcoming Model X SUV. INGOLSTADT, Germany – Audi will develop the battery for a purely electrically powered sport utility vehicle on the basis of powerful cell modules from the South Korean suppliers LG Chem and Samsung SDI. The German automaker’s 2013 A3 hybrid vehicle is coming to the U.S.in October. That troubling financial reality has been compounded by the fact that the development of EV hardware requires significantly more capital than an equivalent traditional internal-combustion power train. That’s because consumers have shown a willingness to pay a significant premium for SUV attributes like a higher seating position, added cargo room and the presumption of increased capability and safety in foul weather and poor road conditions.
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While electric-assisted SUVs aren’t uncommon, it’s more unusual to find an all-electric model. Audi tips it to have a longer range than the Tesla Model S and also the upcoming Model X. In the electric supercar, a battery with a 92-kWh capacity has been selected-enough, Audi says, for a driving range of about 280 miles. However, the company has announced several times that the vehicle will be launched in September this year.
The South Korean companies are two of the world’s biggest producers of the lithium-ion batteries that power humanity’s growing pile of phones, laptops, and electric cars.
Meanwhile, Audi will “integrate the innovative cell modules developed with LG Chem and Samsung SDI into our vehicle architecture”, Prof.
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Under the plan, LG Chem and Samsung SDI will be supplying the required components and material from their European plants.
