The Audi E-tron is considered to be one of Tesla Model Y’s top competition, but that might change soon as news of production slowdown could threaten Audi’s standing.
The electric vehicle model from the luxury car brand was once considered to be a “Tesla Killer” because analysts believe that Audi can put the same excellence in car production it's been known for years. The Audi E-tron is impressive, with two electric motors that deliver a total power output of 300 kW, as well as a sizable 95 kWh battery that aims to deliver 204 miles of range on a full charge.
However, recent news reveals that the E-tron is currently experiencing production problems due to difficulty in its supply of batteries and slow turnover of its motors. This has caused the production of the vehicles to slow down to as much as only six hours a day and could push the release of the Audi E-tron Sportback to 2020 instead of 2019.
According to The Brussels Times, the German carmaker is having a difficult time with LG Chem, the company which supplies the e-tron’s batteries. The company is said to have raised their prices on the batteries needed for the electric vehicles and is now competing against other brands such as BMW and Mercedez-Benz for supplies. LG Chem also produces batteries for other electric vehicles from luxury car brands such as the Porsche Taycan and the Jaguar I-PACE.
Aside from batteries, motor production for the Audi E-tron is also causing problems, particularly in its plant in Györ, Hungary. Currently, the Audi plant is experiencing workers’ strikes since early this year. Because of this, production time has been cut down to only six hours a day and soon the German company could resolve to a four-day work week.
On the other hand, Tesla is improving when it comes to its production line. Learning from the challenges the company faced in the production of the Model 3, Elon Musk’s company is now described to be the most experienced when it comes to electric vehicle production.
This is a plus especially to the Model Y which the company is banking largely on. Musk claimed that they won’t have as much problem in producing the crossover SUV as with the Model 3, especially as the company will be using around 70 percent of its parts for the new electric vehicle.
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