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Audi teams up with Samsung and LG to design a high-capacity battery pack for EVs

Ronan Glon
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Official details are starting to emerge about the all-electric concept that Audi will unveil next month during the Frankfurt Motor Show.

Putting an end to a long-standing rumor, the Volkswagen-owned car maker has confirmed that its upcoming SUV will boast a total driving range of over 310 miles thanks to recent advances in battery technology. In comparison, preliminary statistics indicate the upcoming Tesla Model X — one of the SUV’s main rivals — will offer a 270-mile range at best.

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The battery pack was designed in-house by Audi, but it will be built using cell modules sourced from LG Chem and Samsung SDI. The two South Korean tech companies will build the modules in their respective European plants and send them directly to Audi, where final assembly will take place.

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Further technical details won’t be disclosed for another couple of weeks, but an earlier report suggests the concept, which is tentatively named Q6 e-tron, will be powered by a state-of-the-art drivetrain built using components sourced from the experimental R8 e-tron. It will boast approximately 500 horsepower and an EV-specific version of Audi’s time-tested quattro all-wheel drive system.

If unofficial renderings published by German magazine Auto, Motor, Und Sport are to be believed, the Q6 e-tron takes the form of a close-to-production concept with a rakish D-pillar that gives it a decidedly less utilitarian look than the Q5. It will be built largely out of lightweight materials like aluminum in order to partially offset the weight added by the bulky battery pack.

Audi’s next concept will likely be unveiled online in the days leading up to the Frankfurt show, and we’ll be on location to bring you live pictures of it. It’ll be a concept in name only, because the company’s partnership with LG Chem and Samsung SDI indicates that the SUV has already been given the green light for production.

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Ronan Glon
Ronan Glon
Contributor
Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…
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