The new Audi Q8 e-tron goes into production in Belgium

First units of the completely updated and now called Audi Q8 e-tron have rolled off the production line in Brussels, Belgium. The factory has already produced 160,000 electric cars since production started in 2018.

The factory is unique as it is Audi’s only carbon-neutral facility and it has been so since 2018. The factory is pioneering the “360factory” strategy of “sustainability in action” through economical, ecological and social investments. All future Audi factories will be built on experiences learned in Brussels.

The Audi Q8 e-tron is the first fully certified carbon-neutral vehicle from the company. From 2025 the company wants all of its cars to follow the Q8 e-tron and thanks to the Mission:Zero environmental program all of its factories should be carbon-neutral.

Since 2012 the Agoria factory has been operating on “green” power, it has the largest solar panel installation in the region with 107,000 square meters of photovoltaic cells. That setup generates around 9,000 MWh of electricity, which is enough to fully charge 90,000 Audi Q8 vehicles.

Audi’s battery suppliers use only renewable energy during production and even electric motors manufactured in Hungary, are transported to Brussels using what the company refers to as “green freight” - rail transport. That decision alone apparently saves 2,600 tons of CO2 emissions every year.

The all-new Audi Q8 e-tron sports a bigger battery pack now with 89 kWh and 106 kWh of usable capacity respectively(95 kWh and 114 kWh nominal). The WLTP range has gone up significantly and now the regular Q8 can go as far as 578 km on one charge while the Sportback version can stretch that all the way to 600 km - with the larger battery of course.

The updated batteries not only last longer, but charge faster as well with the charging time reduced from 50 minutes to just over half an hour thanks to 170kW DC charging support. The aerodynamic performance has been improved as well and all these changes result in a finally competitive electric SUV.

The orders are open, first cars are rolling off the production lines and the European customers can expect to collect their vehicles no later than in February of next year. The American buyers will have to wait a tad longer - the official launch of the Q8 in the US is scheduled for April 2023.

Manufacturing electric cars using the old methods is just not good enough because it doesn’t fix our situation, it just slaps a lick of new paint on the old problem. Audi shows that you don’t need new shiny factories, you just need clever thinking and an honest approach to problem-solving.

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