When it comes to the market sometime by the end of this year, Audi E-tron is going to be equipped with one of the most advanced systems for fast charging the electric cars. After all, it might be the first car drivers will be able to charge at the charging stations with up to 150 kilowatts. No wonder then, that Audi prepared for its newcomer a rather spectacular presentation – although still in camouflage wrapping.

What Audi did is that it took the car to the Faraday cage at the Siemens high-voltage test bay in the Berlin switchgear plant. With dimensions of 42 x 32 by 25 meters, it is the biggest such facility in the world that can produce lightning impulses of up to 3.000.000 volts. Perfect for Audi's plan then. German car manufacturer's engineers, together with experts from Siemens exposed the car to such lightning, creating impressive flashes of light dance with a pulsating crackle over the car's roof.

What is maybe even more interesting are some news facts, Audi revealed about the car and ways of charging it with electricity. As mentioned, one will be able to charge it with up to 150 kilowatts. Capacity of the battery is going to be 95 kWh and will, when fully charged, provide enough electricity for 400 kilometers of autonomy. And that is according to new and more realistic WLTP driving cycle.

Such fast chargers are so far quite rare though and it will take few years until they will be regularly available to most drivers. In the meantime, they could charge electric SUV on the move with alternating current at AC chargers. Those are already fairly available with 65.000 of them spread around Europe with much more to come this year, although they are with 11 or 22 kilowatts of output far less powerful. Similar solution is also going to be available for home usage – with an output of 11 kilowatts and connected to 400 volts three-phase outlet it will take approximately 8,5 hours to charge the battery from empty to 100 percent.