Nine journalists, 10 European countries and 1600km in 24 hours. This latest test for Audi’s first all-electric vehicle, the Audi e-tron quattro, saw the SUVs take off from Lake Bled in Slovenia and drive all the way to Amsterdam in the Netherlands – in just one day.

Lake Bled lies on the edge of the Pokljuka plateau in northern Slovenia. Here three Audi e-tron 55 quattro models, each with three journalists onboard, set off on the challenge. Through Austria, Italy, Lichtenstein, Switzerland, France, Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium to Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The drive took in a varied array of terrain, from steep mountain passes to freeway motoring and city driving – the e-tron impressed from the very start. 

Driving through the Alps the Audi e-tron 55 quattro made full use of its power of up to 300kW and 664Nm of torque on the steep climbs. Then it demonstrated its recuperation concept recovering up to 220kW and 300Nm when braking and converting it into electricity – a benchmark figure among the competition.

On the flat stages along the Rhine, in Belgium and the Netherlands, the e-tron’s aerodynamics and drag coefficient of 0.27 contributed substantially to the low power consumption.

Along the way, seven charging stops were planned – in Kärnten, South Tyrol, Vorarlberg, in the Canton of Zurich, in the Breisgau, in the Eifel and near Liège – where fast-charging stations were used, allowing the e-trons to charge their lithium-ion batteries to 80 percent in just 30 minutes. The basis for the high charging output is the complex thermal management system, which also ensures a long battery service life combined with consistently excellent performance, even under high load.

“Our electric SUV is an excellent long-distance car because it perfectly combines a high degree of ride comfort, performance and efficiency,” says Hans-Joachim Rothenpieler, Audi Board of Management Member for Technical Development. 

The trip demonstrated again the easy with which the all-electric SUV handles diverse driving conditions and the diverse news of today’s customers. More than 1600km across 10 countries in 24 hours, may not be ‘all in a day’s work’ for the average motorist, but the Audi e-tron is certainly up to the task if it’s ever required.