Audi has announced that mass-production of its all-electric SUV, the e-tron, has begun in Brussels, Belgium.
Audi says that much touted e-tron boasts a charging capacity of up to 150 kW at quick-charging stations, and can be fully charge, ready distance driving in just 30 minutes.
Audi will present the unveiled electric car for the first time at its world premiere in San Francisco on September 17.
“The Audi e-tron is a genuine pioneer,” said Peter Kössler, Member of the Board of Management for Production and Logistics at AUDI AG. “It features innovative technologies such as virtual exterior mirrors and combines traditional Audi qualities in handling and dynamics with technical Vorsprung that goes far beyond the car.”
Kössler added that the Brussels plant was comprehensively modernized for the production of the electric car. “This is the world’s first certified CO2 neutral mass production in the premium segment,” he said, noting that Audi Brussels offsets all emissions produced in production and on site—made possible by using energy from renewable sources and also via environmental projects.
“Audi built up numerous competencies in-house for the Audi e-tron and developed both the battery technology and the actual drive system itself. And employees rethought, planned and implemented many stages of production,” said Patrick Danau, Managing Director of Audi Brussels.
Since summer 2016, the plant has extensively rebuilt its body shop, paint shop and assembly line while also setting up its own battery production system. Driverless transport systems bring the batteries for the electric cars to the assembly line just in sequence. Audi says that employees at the Brussels complex have received more than 200,000 hours of training for assembling the e-tron and are prepared for the start of production.
Audi will broadcast the world premiere of the Audi e-tron in San Francisco live on September 17 at 8.30 p.m. local time (on September at 5:30 a.m. CEST) at e-tron.audi.
