Auto Technician Training Students: Expect a New Electric Audi Every Year From 2018!

Recently, the International Energy Agency has published their plan to ensure that by 2050, eighty per cent of cars sold will be electric, fuel cell, or hybrid. They also cite that this next decade will be crucial in determining the feasibility of this goal. With plans to release a new electric Audi car or SUV every year from 2018 onwards, Audi is on track to play a large part in reaching this lofty objective.

Read on for a brief history of the electric car and for news on what students in auto technician training can expect from Audi in the coming years.

Careers in the Auto Industry Used to be Only Electric

It may surprise some students in auto technician training to hear that electric vehicles existed long before internal combustion vehicles ever did. In 1834, Thomas Davenport invented the first electric-powered car. Famed inventor Thomas Edison then produced a nickel-iron battery for his own electric car design. With the emergence of the Ford Model T, which was more affordable than any electric car and could provide drivers with a longer travel distance, the popularity of electric vehicles began to fade. It wasn’t until very recently, with the emergence of the hybrid gasoline-electric Toyota Prius, that a popular interest in electric vehicles was renewed. This led to hybrid and electric creations by basically every major car manufacturer, and most recently to the emergence of the Audi’s ‘e-tron’ line.

Auto Technician Training Students: Get Excited About the Audi A3 E-Tron

The new 2016 Audi A3 sportback e-tron transforms the world without changing everyday life. It still looks and feels like an Audi, but with a ‘green’ twist. Its new electric/gasoline hybrid engine has four driving modes that let drivers switch between full electric, petrol-powered, a mixture of both, and also one mode that charges the electric engine while it’s driving. The A3 e-tron costs almost $39,000 in Canada, which is about the same price as the new Tesla Model 3 full-electric vehicle. Auto technician training students should expect to see more of these vehicles in the future.

Auto Technician Training Students Should Expect to See Electric SUVs from Audi Soon

The new 2016 Audi Q7 e-tron joins the A3 sportback as part of Audi’s electric arsenal. The 5-seater SUV is about $20,000 more than its gasoline-powered twin, but can drive about 55 kilometers strictly on an electric charge. That is quite impressive for a vehicle that is 5,500 pounds. The Q7 can make its way on basically any kind of road—dirt, gravel, etc.—and can do so silently, without the hum of a gasoline-powered motor.

Lighting Quick Audi R8 E-Tron is a Dream for Automotive Mechanics

The Audi R8 is arguably one of the fastest and best-looking Audis to ever hit the showroom floor, and although green isn’t available as a paint option, its electric engine is definitely ‘green.’ Those in careers in the auto industry will be shocked to learn that the car boasts upwards of 455 horsepower and 679 lb-ft of torque and will be able to carry passengers 450 kilometers on a single charge. It is slated to compete with the forthcoming Tesla Roadster, and if these engine stats remain accurate, it might just blow it out of the water.

Want to begin working on gasoline and electric cars in the future?
Contact ATC to find out how you can begin your auto mechanic certification.