Audi A6 e-tron first drive: power, range, and luxury in a sleek design
We had a chance to test drive the Audi A6 e-tron, the German automaker’s second next-gen electric vehicle based on its new PPE platform, in Tenerife, Spain, a few weeks ago.
It delivers power, luxury, and an impressive range in a sleek design.
Disclaimer: Audi paid for my flights and lodging to go test out the A6 in Spain.
Outside of the e-tron GT, Audi has focused on SUVs when it comes to releasing new electric cars: the original e-tron, Q4, and Q8.
However, the German automaker has ambitions to electrify its entire lineup, and things are now moving faster with the introduction of the PPE platform, a new and long-awaited all-electric performance platform co-developed with Porsche.
Earlier this year, the automaker introduced the Q6 e-tron, its first vehicle based on the PPE, and we were quite impressed. The vehicle is much more efficient than Audi’s previous EVs, and it feels like the automaker is starting to settle into the role of producing electric vehicles.
The Q6 is an Audi, with all its performance and luxury, and a solid electric vehicle with a more than decent range and impressive charging capacity.
Audi A6 e-tron
Unsurprisingly, since it is based on the same platform, the Audi A6 has impressed me as much as the Q6 for the same reasons, but the form factor is more efficient. And you know I love my vehicles efficient.
The A6 is the most aerodynamic Audi ever, with a 0.21 drag coefficient in its most aerodynamic configuration. Unfortunately, we will not get it in North America because it involves replacing the side mirrors with cameras.
The North American version still gets an impressive 0.23 drag coefficient. The wheels can also make a big difference, and Audi offers many options.
Audi has already confirmed an EPA range of 370 miles (595 km) on the NA version of the A6 with 20″ wheels, but the automaker told us at the drive event that the upcoming 19″ wheels should enable 390 miles (628 km) of range.
That’s achieved on the same 100 kWh (94.4 kWh usable) battery pack.
Another reason the A6, like the Q6, achieves impressive range and efficiency is its strong regenerative braking.
Audi is taking the approach of offering a wide range of different regen braking strengths and modes, including applying the regen when using the brake pedal, but I personally exclusively use it in one-pedal driving mode (B). Once you get used to it, it’s hard to go back.
It makes the car more efficient and fun to drive.
At one point, we drove up to Mt. Teide, a dormant volcano on the island, at about 2 km of altitude. We were at about 250 km of range when I started driving back down to the hotel, which was on the coast about 68 km away.
We arrived at the hotel with about 300 km of range. That’s just awesome, and it’s not like I was trying to hypermile the A6. I was actually driving relatively aggressively, passing people, and we did about a dozen kilometers on the highway.
In terms of the actual driving experience, it was extremely reminiscent of the Q6 with a lower driving position. The cabin is dead quiet, which is the main feature of a luxury vehicle in my book. In dynamic mode, the steering is really responsive and you can always for more relaxed comfort modes.
The heads-up display clear and useful without being obnoxious.
The seats are incredibly comfortable, especially in the S6, the performance version of the A6, but you also have great options in the regular A6 or the S line A6, which adds S6 features without the performance.
I didn’t get to try these, but I thought they looked stunning:
Speaking of the performance, the basic rear-wheel drive with an output of 270 kW (280 kW with Launch Control) is plenty powerful. It gives you the peppiness that is so fun about EVs without being some crazy power.
If you want crazy power, the S6 can give you that. Even though we are more talking about a luxury family sedan, the dual motor all-wheel-drive powertrain can deliver 370 kW (405 kW with Launch Control) for a 0 to 60 mph in just 3.7 seconds.
It’s important to note that the higher performance level also comes with lower efficiency with the S6 getting 324 miles (521 km) of range.
That’s still more than a decent range, especially when combined with Audi’s impressive charging capability.
The A6 has a peak charge rate of 270 kW, but the charging curve is more impressive than the peak charge rate:
It makes the Audi A6 a great road trip car with the main downside being that it doesn’t have NACS in North America. Audi has locked the design a little too early for NACS integration.
This means that A6 owners must use an adapter to use the Supercharger network in North America.
Speaking of road trips, I was impressed by both the trunk opening and the overall space in the back without even having to lay down the back seat:
Audi had the Avant (wagon) version of the A6 at the drive event, but unfortunately, it was off-limits for us North American reporters since the automaker doesn’t plan to launch it in the US or Canada.
I think wagons look cool; it’s a bummer that they don’t sell well in North America. However, I have to say that I checked the Avant’s trunk compared to the sedan Sportback version and there wasn’t a big difference.
Audi A6 Pricing and Availability
We don’t have US pricing yet. That’s expected to arrive early next year before the A6 hits US dealerships a few months later.
Audi has released EU pricing for the “upper mid-range models”, which start at at 75,600 euros for the A6 Sportback e-tron performance and 77,250 euros for the A6 Avant e-tron performance. The S6 Sportback e-tron costs 99,500 euros and the price for the S6 Avant e-tron is 101,150 euros.
Electrek’s Take
Much like the Q6, I feel the A6’s main downside in North America is that it doesn’t come standard with a NACS connector.
If that’s your main downside, you are doing well since it just means that the few times a month you want/need to use a Supercharger station, you have to use an adapter. No big deal.
Speaking of charging, the A6 also has an interesting advantage on that front: an optional dual charger port.
You can have a CCS DC fast-charging capable port on the driver’s side and a level 2 J1772 on the other side. This can be super practical for people who often have the charge on city streets.
We still need to see the official pricing in the US on this, but I think with the range, efficiency, quiet cabin, and overall luxury, the 390-mile RWD A6 could prove to be a very interesting new entry in the EV market.
What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below.
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A federal court judge in Michigan has placed the once-promising electric truck brand Bollinger Motors’ assets into receivership following claims that the company’s owners still owe its founder, Robert Bollinger, more than $10 million.
Bollinger Motors first came to fame in the “draw a truck, get a billion dollars” stage of the EV revolution that saw Nikola rise to a higher market cap than Ford for a brief time. Robert Bollinger wasn’t able to capitalize quickly enough to get his trucks into production, though – and a late stage pivot to sell the brand to Mullen Automotive and launch a medium-duty commercial truck doesn’t appear to have been enough to save it.
Now, Automotive News is reporting on some of the more convoluted details of the Mullen purchase deal, with Robert (for ease of distinguishing the man from the brand) claiming that Mullen Automotive owes him more than $10 million for a loan he made to the company in 2024.
Just how Robert ended up giving Mullen Automotive $10 million to take his eponymous truck brand off his hands is probably one of those capitalistic mysteries that I’ll never understand, but Mullen’s response was perfectly clear: they didn’t even bother to show up to court.
Bollinger claims that at least two suppliers are also suing Mullen for unpaid debts. As such, the Honorable Terrence G. Berg has put the Bollinger brand into receivership, and its assets have been frozen in preparation for everything being liquidated. Worse, for Bollinger, the official court filings reveal a company that is really very much doing not awesome:
The testimony and evidence—which Defendant’s counsel conceded accurately reflected Defendant’s finances—showed that Defendant is in crisis. For months Defendant has owed more than twenty million dollars to suppliers, contractors, service providers, and owners of physical space. These debts are owed to parties who are critical for Defendant’s functioning. CEO Bryan Chambers testified that Defendant was locked out of its production facilities on May 5, 2025, and that the owner of the production facilities was seeking to permanently evict Defendant. The Court heard that Defendant had been prevented from accessing its critical manufacturing accounting system for a short time at the end of April 2025, before making a partial payment to restart services.
US DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN
I’m not sure if you caught all that, but Bollinger’s CEO has been locked out the company’s facilities and getting evicted, the company is more than $20 million in debt, and that debt is owed to people Bollinger absolutely needs in order to keep going.
You can read the full court decision, which I’ve embedded here, below. Once you’ve taken it all in, feel free to rush into the comments to say you told me so, since I really thought hoped the Bollinger B1 had a shot. Silly me.
Bollinger v. Bollinger case
SOURCES: Automotive News, Justia, Yahoo!.
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Mammoth Solar, a 1.3 gigawatt (GW) solar farm in northern Indiana, is now powering into its biggest construction phase yet, cementing its place as one of the largest solar projects in the US.
The solar farm is set to increase Indiana’s solar capacity by more than 20% once it’s fully online. And with construction ramping up this month, developer Doral Renewables has given Bechtel Full Notice to Proceed on the design, engineering, and construction of three major phases of the project: Mammoth South, Mammoth Central I, and Mammoth Central II. Together, these phases will generate 900 MW of clean energy.
That’s enough electricity to power around 200,000 homes with clean energy, helping Indiana shift away from fossil fuels while boosting the local economy.
Construction is already underway, and over the next two years, Bechtel will install around 2 million solar panels, with about half of them made in the US. The company is also handling all engineering, procurement, and construction work, using its digital project management tools and autonomous tech to keep everything on track.
At the peak of the buildout, Mammoth Solar is expected to create over 1,200 jobs, with at least 15% of those set aside for apprenticeships.
Bechtel says its success will hinge on strong collaboration with local trades and vendors. The company is working closely with craft professionals and is committed to being a reliable community partner throughout construction.
Once the solar farm is complete in 2027, Doral Renewables plans to roll out agrivoltaics across the site. That means livestock grazing and crop cultivation will happen right alongside energy production, giving farmers in the area a way to keep working their land while supporting clean energy development.
Read more: Solar adds more new capacity to the US grid in 2024 than any energy source in 20 years
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BYD is about to launch an even smaller EV, but this one’s a little different. It’s BYD’s first kei car. You know, those tiny vehicles that dominate Japan’s city streets? BYD’s mini EV was just spotted out in public, giving us our first real look at the upcoming kei car.
BYD’s first mini EV was spotted in public
Last week, rumors surfaced that BYD was developing its first kei car, which would compete with top-selling models from Nissan, Honda, Mitsubishi, and other Japanese brands.
Kei cars, or “K-Car,” as they are sometimes called, are a class of ultra-compact vehicles that cannot be longer than 3.4 meters (134″). To put that into perspective, BYD’s smallest EV currently, the Seagull (called the Dolphin Mini overseas), is 3,780 mm (148.8″) long.
The mini vehicles are ideal in Japan because they are so small, making it easy to get around tight city streets. They are also more affordable and efficient than larger vehicles.
BYD’s mini EV was spotted for the first time during a road test this week by IT Home (via CarNewsChina), revealing a familiar look. It has that boxy, compact look of a typical kei car with sliding side doors.
According to reports, BYD is developing a new platform for the model. It will reportedly include a 20 kWh battery, good for 180 km (112 miles) WLTC range. By using its in-house Blade LFP batteries, BYD is expected to have a cost advantage.
BYD’s upcoming mini EV is expected to start at around 2.5 million yen, or about $18,000. That’s about the same as the Nissan Sakura (2.59 million yen), Japan’s best-selling EV last year.
既出ですがBYDの日本向けEV軽自動車と言われているフロントとリアからのスパイショット。 pic.twitter.com/CcV5pihpWc
— 主夫まぬか (@syufumanuka) May 16, 2025
Last year, around 1.55 million kei cars were sold in Japan, accounting for roughly 40% of new vehicle sales. Honda’s N-Box was the top-selling kei car (EV or gas) for the third straight year.
As Nikkei reported, some are already calling BYD’s electric kei car “a huge threat.” A Suzuki dealer said, “Young people do not have a negative view of BYD. It would be a huge threat if the company launches cheap models in Japan.”
BYD already sells several electric cars in Japan, including the Atto 3 SUV, Dolphin, and Seal. Last month, the company launched the new Sealion 7 midsize electric SUV, starting at 4.95 million yen ($34,500).
Although Japan isn’t really an EV hot spot, with sales falling 33% in 2024 to just under 60,000 units, BYD sees an opportunity.
By making virtually every car component in-house, including batteries, BYD can offer EVs at such low prices while still making a profit. BYD’s cheapest and best-selling electric car, the Seagull, starts at under $10,000 (69,800 yuan) in China.
With new smart driving and charging tech rolling out, BYD’s electric cars are getting smarter and even more efficient.
Can BYD’s mini EV compete with Japanese brands? At the right price, it may have a chance. Check back soon for more on the upcoming kei car. We’ll keep you up to date with the latest.
Source: Sina, CarNewsChina
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