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| Audi e-tron 55 Quattro / Courtesy of Audi Volkswagen Korea |
By Nam Hyun-woo
Audi's electric vehicle (EV), the e-tron 55 Quattro, is facing a setback in sales here, as Korea's environment ministry is considering canceling the vehicle's certification over the questionable range it is claimed to be able to travel on a single charge, according to industry officials, Tuesday.
According to the Ministry of Environment, it is investigating whether Audi Volkswagen Korea has violated the Clean Air Conservation Act by submitting inaccurate data on the vehicle's travel range. Depending on the result, the vehicle's certification could be canceled and the importer may face additional restrictions in its sales.
Audi launched the e-tron 55 Quattro here in July, after winning certification from the ministry declaring it a low emission vehicle by stating the electric SUV can drive 307 kilometers at an ordinary temperature, 23 degrees Celsius, and 306 kilometers at a subzero temperature, minus 7 degrees Celsius, on a single charge.
This, however, raised doubts because most EVs lose about 30 kilometers to 100 kilometers of their range in low-temperature conditions.
According to the ministry data, Hyundai Motor's Ioniq Electric drives 405.6 kilometers in ordinary temperatures and 310.2 kilometers in subzero temperatures, and the Chevrolet Bolt EV drives 414 kilometers in ordinary temperatures and 273 kilometers in subzero temperatures.
The gaps between temperatures were narrower in expensive models, but no vehicle certified here has achieved a 1-kilometer difference based on the range-measuring standard in Korea. The Mercedes-Benz EQC 400 4MATIC loses 38 kilometers in subzero temperatures, and the Tesla Model S 100D loses 82.2 kilometers.
Lithium ion batteries lose travel range in cold weather because chemical reactions are slower in low temperatures. In 2019, American Automobile Association released a study that cold temperatures can temporarily reduce EVs' range by more than 40 percent.
The ministry said Audi Volkswagen Korea won the e-tron 55 Quattro's certification after testing its travel range according to the U.S. measuring standard, and the company tested the range again based on the Korean standard. And the range in cold weather remained at 80 percent of its initial report.
The Ministry of Environment gauges an EV's travel range in low temperatures with its heating on full, while the U.S. standard allows vehicles tested in cold weather to turn on the defogger function only.
Audi Volkswagen Korea has been striving to recover its reputation from the 2015 emissions rigging scandal, and pledged to make a strong comeback in the local market with EVs. As the company faces another setback in its certification, however, pessimism is growing over its strategies. The Ministry of Environment is also under fire for not reviewing the vehicles thoroughly.
An Audi Volkswagen Korea official said the company acknowledges its error in submitting travel range data, and will cooperate with the ministry's investigation.
