How to Choose Your Audi e-tron EV Charger?

Introduction

Ever wonder what it takes to get a suitable Audi e-tron EV charger?

As many automotive manufacturers like Audi continue to transition from fossil fuel to electric vehicle manufacturing, specific indices continue to surface. The demand for EV chargers continues to increase, and you cannot but wonder what the future holds for customers of EV makers like Audi. With the inability of some customers to locate a reliable supplier for their Audi e-tron, owners are often frustrated when they don’t know how to go about it. This article is for you if you fall into this category as an Audi e-tron owner. If you want to know where and how to locate a quality charger for your Audi e-tron, keep reading.

II. What Audi e-tron Drivers Need to Know about EV Charging

While Audi has joined the group of automobile manufacturers championing the transition from fossil fuel cars to electric vehicles with their first all-electric vehicle – the Audi e-tron, Audi has continued to expand their fleet. Their commitment to research and development has enhanced their abilities in manufacturing technologically advanced EVs with sleek, aesthetically pleasing designs. A sophisticated auto manufacturing process that depicts Volkswagen Group’s dedication to quality and quality was also employed. This EV has the capacity for fast charging of up to 80% in about 30 minutes.

III. Audi e-tron EV Charging & Range

The Audi e-tron basks in some of the most innovative features and options in its design, starting with a high-capacity lithium-ion battery with a full charge capacity of 95kWh. This battery also has a driving range of 204 miles which is pretty decent and sufficient for daily city navigations. Charging the e-tron is one of the industry’s fastest with its 11kW charging rate when using a level 2 charger. The charging is even faster with a DC charger with a 155kW charging rate. With a high battery capacity, it only means a level 2 home charger will give a better charging experience since it is faster than a regular level 1 home charging station which can take up to 4 days to fully charge an e-tron’s battery.

IV. Connector Types and Charging Rate

The Audi e-tron uses the standard J1772 connector to connect to a level 1 charger that takes about four days to fully charge from empty. However, it also uses the combined charging systems (CCCS) connector to connect to a level charger that can take 9 hours of continuous charging to reach 100%. Still, the same CCS connector connects to a DC charger with a 155kW charging rate. This DC charger only takes 30 minutes to reach 80% charger capacity for the battery.

V. Audi e-tron EV Charging Times

Several factors are responsible for the speed of charging an Audi e-tron battery, including its battery capacity and the type of charger employed in the process vis-à-vis level 1 and 2 chargers as well as a level 3 DC fast charger. The battery capacity of the e-tron comes in different sizes for different models of e-tron, with varying motor sizes as an indication of their charging power and charging speed. Hence, the bigger the battery capacity, the longer it will take to charge the battery given the same charger. 

Also, a level 1 charger takes much longer to charge a battery, given that the supplied voltage is 120V, while a 240V level 2 charger will take less to charge the same battery. However, the fastest charging equipment is still the level 3 DC fast charger that takes about 30 minutes to charge a 95kWh e-tron battery. 

The level of battery depletion is also very critical to the time it takes to charge the battery. For example, it will take longer to charge a battery depleted to 40% charge than it will take to one depleted to 70%. 

VI. Level 3 DC Fast Charging

To reiterate, a level 3 DC fast charging offers the fastest charging rate of the three chargers. Interestingly, while a level 3 DC charger can charge an Audi e-tron battery to 80% in 30 minutes at 155kw, it still takes more than an hour to charge the remaining 20%.

VII. Difference in the Power of the Chargers

The different chargers, including level 1 home chargers, level 2 public chargers, and level 3 DC chargers, differ significantly in charging capacities and power. This power translates to their charging rate and the speed with which they charge the e-tron battery, albeit among other factors. 

For the level 1 charger, the power released for charging this 204-mile range EV is about 4 miles an hour which is understandably so. Using a 120V home socket to charge a 95kW capacity battery won’t be ideal for many use cases, except if you don’t usually drive your e-tron for days and can afford to plug it in for a couple of days to charge it.

The level 2 charger has more charging power and can add up to 30 miles per hour to an e-tron’s battery, making it faster than the level 1 charger. Since the voltage supplied is double that of a level 1 charger at 240V, it is only logical that it will be faster.

For level 3, DC fast chargers supply about 155kW power to the e-tron battery delivering over 80-mile range per hour to the battery. This explains its less than 3 hours charging time from 0 – 100% even though the last 20% charging of the battery still takes over an hour to complete.

VIII. Audi e-tron EV Charging Cost 

Depending on your location and whether you choose to charge at home, at work, or a publicly available charging point, the cost of charging your Audi e-tron will vary. Based on location, some governments offer incentives to EV owners to subsidize their charging, and some government authorities even make it free to charge your EV. However, businesses that operate charging stations use various metrics to bill their customers. While some use the per-kilowatt basis, others use per time spent charging and per mile range billing system. Nevertheless, an average level 2 public charging station will cost around 70 cents per mile range added to your battery.

Related Article: Electric Car Charging Costs: How Much does it Cost to Charge Your Electric Vehicle?

IX. How to Choose the Right EV Chargers for Your Audi e-tron?

Not just one factor is required to choose the right EV charger for your Audi e-tron. It often involves considering your location, driving patterns, budget, battery size, and purpose for wanting to purchase an EV charging station. 

Location – This consideration involves identifying where you are and where you intend to drive your e-tron, as every location will have its local charging conventions and requirements. For instance, where the publicly available level 2 charger only accepts a CHAdeMO connector, you’ve purchased a charger that accepts a J1772 connector will only create a compatibility challenge. 

Driving pattern – Your daily driving duration also contributes immensely to choosing a suitable charging station. For instance, if you are more of a long-distance driver, buying a level 1 charging station will only limit your drive time as you’ll spend more time charging your e-tron than driving. A level 1 charger is most suitable for an average short-distance inner-city driver. 

Price – Matching your budget to the right charging station is essential. The price range for charging stations increases with their charging power and speed. Hence, a DC fast charging station is often the most expensive and a level 1 charger the cheapest. So, looking for a DC fast charger with a level 1 charger budget may be unrealistic.  

Battery capacity – If your battery capacity is high, going for a slow charging station can be frustrating, knowing that a higher battery capacity takes more time to charge than a lower battery capacity. Therefore, a fast charger will always be required for a high battery capacity like the Audi e-tron. 

Purpose – If purchasing a charging station is beyond home charging, you might want to get a faster charging station with a minimum of a level 2 charging station. Most businesses and publicly available charging stations only install level 2 and DC fast-charging stations to serve EV owners who want to charge their batteries. 

Related Article: EV Charging Levels

Related Article: How to Choose Your Proper Home EV Charger?

X. Where to Buy the Audi e-tron Wall Charger?

For most EV owners, including Audi e-tron owners, locating a quality wall charger supplier is often one of their biggest challenges. Here are some places to find reliable Audi e-tron wall chargers. 

Search engines – Many Audi e-tron owners often forget that the first place they should look for a quality wall charger is on a search engine. The popular search engine Google has millions of wall charger manufacturers that you can reach by typing a search query in the search box. You can even filter unwanted and irrelevant results away by using search operators like AND, OR, and NOT to get more accurate results. 

Online stores – Amazon is one online store with numerous Audi e-tron wall charger’s manufacturers. You can immediately filter the suppliers based on categories like price range, customer satisfaction, reviews, and wall charger types. The good thing about online stores is that these suppliers are already categorized, which means you spend less time searching. 

Trade fairs and exhibitions – For places like the Chinese market, known as a manufacturing hub, exhibitions and fairs are a yearly feature of the industry, with many manufacturers, including wall charger manufacturers coming to promote their products. The advantage of this channel is interacting with many brands and their offerings, including features and prices. 

XI. EV-Top Advantages for Audi e-tron Owners

As an experienced EV charger manufacturer with a history of quality manufacturing for more than three decades, EV-Top offers Audi e-tron owners many advantages, highlighted below.

• Innovative – With a dedicated team of research and development, which is made up of experienced professionals and experts in the engineering field, EV-Top has consistently manufactured innovative EV charging solutions. 

• Certified – EV-Tops never ceases to assure its customers of its commitment to meeting international requirements for safety and quality. They have all the necessary certifications to inspire a high level of confidence from its customers, including UL, CE, EN, ISO, etc. 

• Affordable – EV-Top is constantly recruiting talented hands from the abundance of experts available in their location. This labor abundance has helped to drive down their production cost, which has helped to make their prices very competitive and affordable. 

• Reliable – Having been around for over three decades, their success stories couldn’t have been possible without their reliability. Their customers often give positive feedback on their ability to deliver by the agreed delivery date. 

• User-Centric – EV charger users often give EV-Top their requirements, knowing that EV-Tops has the innovative capabilities to develop bespoke EV charging solutions. This user confidence in EV-Top often speaks volumes of their user-centric business approach. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, Audi e-tron owners have one of the most innovative electric vehicles in the industry with its high-capacity battery and long-distance range. However, you may still struggle with the familiar challenge that affects most EV owners – locating a suitable EV charger manufacturer. Fortunately, implementing the considerations highlighted in this article will help you overcome these challenges. Such considerations as location, battery capacity, and budget, among others, will help you locate reliable EV manufacturers like EV-Top that can meet all your EV charging requirements.