The Audi charging service will launch on January 1, 2023
Milton Keynes – By 2026 every new Audi that is developed will be fully electric as the four rings charge ahead to become the world’s leading provider of sustainable, premium mobility. Helping accelerate this is the new Audi charging service, a one-stop shop for EV charging, allowing drivers to charge conveniently and reliably almost anywhere in Europe.
The new Audi charging service will start on January 1, 2023, in 27 countries, including the UK, and will be expanded over the year. It offers access to approximately 400,000 charging points across the continent, operated by more than 800 different charge point operators including roughly 1,900 high-performance chargers from IONITY.
For its new charging offering, Audi is cooperating with Volkswagen Group Charging GmbH and its Elli brand. The Audi e-tron Charging Service, which was launched four years ago after the introduction of Audi’s first fully electric model, will be replaced, and new customers, as well as drivers of current Audi models, will switch to the new service with a choice of three different tariffs – basic, plus & pro.
First year of pro tariff on Audi UK for new vehicle orders
Customers will be able to charge at competitive rates from day one, and for those who purchase a fully electric vehicle, Audi will take care of the base fee for the pro tariff for the first year.
The pro tariff is aimed primarily at EV drivers who frequently have to charge on the road. In the UK, the monthly base fee is £12.95, but drivers are offered a lower price of £0.35 per kilowatt hour at AC charging points and £0.43 at fast DC charging points. Recharging on the IONITY is even more attractive, with the pro tariff costing only £0.31 per kilowatt hour.
For drivers who only need to charge on the road occasionally, the plus tariff is available, with a monthly fee of £6.95. This option offers economical prices at AC and DC charging stations. The basic tariff has no base fee, but kilowatt prices are higher and are designed for those who mostly charge at home.
When charging abroad, the country-specific prices apply – this gives drivers of electric vehicles full transparency about the charging costs they can expect even before they travel outside of the UK.
Convenient contract management and billing
The location of compatible charging points on the Audi charging service is integrated into the vehicle’s MMI (Multi Media Interface) and in the myAudi app, which can send a pre-planned route to the car. Additionally, the charging stations can be unlocked, and the charging process can be started via the provided RFID card (radio-frequency identification) or with the app.
The “Plug & Charge” function, which is even more convenient and available on Q4 e-tron and Q8 e-tron models mid-2023, is currently available at IONITY and will be offered at more providers in the future. After activating the functionality from inside the vehicle once, the car and the charging station communicate via an encrypted connection, which allows the charging process to start automatically as soon as the connector is plugged into the vehicle. Billing is done via payment saved in the myAudi app, such as a credit card. “Plug & Charge” will be available in the new Audi charging network shortly after the market launch.
Within the myAudi app customers can manage the complete Audi contract and even switch to a different tariff if necessary. The app also indicates the prices of the selected charging station and summarizes all charging processes. Audi charging is exclusively for Audi customers who drive a battery electric vehicle (BEV) or a plug-in hybrid (PHEV).
