Audi A2 e-tron: why efficiency changes the maths at the charger

Audi claims 105 kW of charging power for its upcoming electric compact. On paper, that is half what a premium saloon manages. In practice it means nothing until you look at the other figure: 12.8 kWh per 100 km. Because at that level of frugality, twenty-six minutes of charging deliver more kilometres than half an hour on plenty of better-equipped cars. Here is what Audi has officially communicated, and what it changes for your charging stops. Published on 26 August 2026.

What Audi has officially announced

In March 2026 the manufacturer confirmed a new family of entry-level electric models called A2 e-tron, built in Ingolstadt, with a world premiere announced for the autumn. The name is an acknowledged tribute to the original A2, which Audi describes as having paved the way for efficiency and urban mobility more than twenty-five years ago.

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In August the manufacturer delivered the technical detail, built around a single argument: efficiency. The car is understood to sit on the latest evolution of the MEB platform, with three battery capacities at launch and four power levels. Audi has not publicly confirmed the platform.

Version	Usable battery	Claimed WLTP range
190 hp	around 58 kWh, LFP chemistry	around 499 km
231 hp	around 79 kWh	up to 649 km
326 hp	around 79 kWh	around 631 km

These capacities and ranges were communicated during a prototype drive and are not yet homologated. The 649 km maximum comes from a page on Audi’s German site that was published and then pulled: treat it as provisional until the world premiere.

Where the 12.8 kWh per 100 km comes from

That is the bottom of the official range, quoted at 15.6 to 12.8 kWh per 100 km and presented as provisional. The 12.8 applies only to the 190 hp version fitted with the efficiency pack. Audi claims the most efficient car in its history, and breaks the gains down item by item, which is rare enough to be worth noting.

Aerodynamics first, with a drag coefficient of 0.24, the best in the brand’s compact range. Air curtains, an active air intake, a flat underbody and active shutters together deliver up to 0.9 kWh per 100 km.

Then the power electronics. Silicon carbide inverters, optimised stator laminations and a low-friction transmission oil add up to 10% efficiency across the whole drivetrain.

A journalist who drove a prototype of the 58 kWh version recorded 12.2 kWh per 100 km on a favourable route and 13.6 kWh in mixed use. Unhomologated measurements, but they confirm the order of magnitude.

105 kW and 26 minutes: why that is enough here

The 105 kW DC charging power and the 10 to 80% window in twenty-six minutes come from information given to the press during a prototype drive, on the LFP version of around 61 kWh gross. Audi’s official release does not mention them: treat them as provisional until the world premiere. The figure also implies a very flat charging curve, averaging around 94 kW, which would be remarkable on a 400-volt LFP battery.

Those 105 kW put the car in the middle of its segment, alongside the Volkswagen ID. Polo, Cupra Raval and Škoda Epiq. But the usual reasoning, comparing peak power figures against each other, misses the point.

Let us do the maths, taking care to compare like with like. Charging a 58 kWh usable battery from 10 to 80% means transferring around 40.6 kWh into the car. The energy the car actually spends, derived from the ratio between battery and claimed range, works out at 11.6 kWh per 100 km: the 12.8 kWh Audi quotes are measured at the socket, charging losses included. That comes to around 350 kilometres recovered in twenty-six minutes. At the mixed consumption recorded on the prototype, you land around 300 kilometres. On the motorway, where consumption climbs sharply, expect noticeably less.

For comparison, an electric SUV using 22 kWh per 100 km would need to transfer 77 kWh to deliver the same 350 kilometres. Even with twice the charging power, it does not go twice as far per stop. That is the whole argument of this car: efficiency does the job peak power is supposed to do, and it does it without any extra infrastructure cost.

This reasoning has a limit worth stating plainly: it holds for full charging stops. If you string together very short top-ups, high power remains an advantage.

Charging efficiency, a figure almost nobody publishes

Audi quotes an AC charging efficiency of 89.6%, up 1.3 points thanks to an optimised cooling strategy. Practically no manufacturer makes that figure public, and it has a very concrete effect on your bill.

An efficiency of 89.6% means that storing 58 kWh in the battery requires drawing around 65 kWh from the socket. The 6.7 kWh difference is lost in the onboard charger and thermal management. At the residential electricity rate in force in your country, that works out at roughly one euro per full charge. Over 15,000 kilometres a year charged at home, the losses come to around 200 kWh across the year.

This line item appears on no spec sheet and in no comparison test. It stays modest, but two points of efficiency between two cars are paid for every month, and a thermally poorly insulated car wastes three times more energy to cover the same distance.

The A2 e-tron also comes with bidirectional charging as standard. V2L, which lets you power a device from the car, and V2H, which lets you power a home, will be available in several European markets. V2H does require a compatible bidirectional charger and, depending on the country, a declaration to the grid operator: the function is in the car, it does not switch on just by plugging in.

What Audi has not said yet

Let us be direct: in our field, data is missing, and it is important data.

AC charging power has not been communicated. So we do not know whether the car accepts 11 or 22 kW, which doubles or halves home charging time on a three-phase installation.

Charging power for the 79 kWh version is reported at 183 kW in the information given to the press during the prototype drive, but Audi has not published it.

Neither the charging curve, nor the average power across the 10 to 80% window, nor how preconditioning works have been communicated. Nor have the charging times for the 51 and 79 kWh versions.

Finally, there is no official price. The figure of €38,200 circulating for Germany comes from the same pulled page as the 649 km range, and no pricing has been announced for other markets.

The architecture is very probably 400 volts, the norm on the MEB platform, but Audi has never stated it explicitly.

The return of the A2, or the third attempt

The story is worth telling, because it sheds light on today’s bet.

The original Audi A2 was built from 1999 to 2005 in around 176,000 units. Aluminium structure, 3.80 metres long, from 855 kilos in the lightest version: a car ahead of its time, and expensive to build. Its 3L 1.2 TDI version was the first five-door sold in Europe under 3 litres per 100 km. It was discontinued because, according to the German press at the time, Audi was losing something like €7,000 on every unit produced.

In 2011 Audi showed an electric A2 Concept, with a 24 kWh battery and a claimed 200 kilometres. The project was dropped as early as June 2012, for lack of a market and in the face of a projected price above €40,000.

So Audi had the right idea at the wrong time, twice. The third attempt arrives with a mature market, an amortised platform and battery costs nothing like those of 2011. The bet is the same as in 1999: back frugality rather than power.

Frequently asked questions about the Audi A2 e-tron

How fast does the Audi A2 e-tron charge?

Information shared during the prototype drive points to 105 kW DC on the LFP version of around 61 kWh gross, with a 10 to 80% window in twenty-six minutes. Audi has not confirmed these figures in its release, and AC power has not been communicated.

What range does the Audi A2 e-tron claim?

Around 421 km, 499 km and up to 649 km depending on the battery, on figures not yet homologated. Claimed consumption ranges from 15.6 to 12.8 kWh per 100 km depending on the version, on a provisional basis.

When will the Audi A2 e-tron be unveiled?

Audi has announced a world premiere in autumn 2026. The car is expected at the Mondial de l’Auto in Paris, from 12 to 18 October, with no official confirmation from the manufacturer so far.

How much will the Audi A2 e-tron cost?

No official price has been communicated. A figure of around €38,200 circulated for Germany, taken from an Audi page that was published and then pulled, so it should be treated with caution.

Can the A2 e-tron power a home?

Yes, bidirectional charging is standard and V2H will be available in several European markets. It does require a compatible bidirectional charger and, depending on the country, a declaration to the grid operator.

Our take

This car shifts the debate. We have got into the habit of judging an EV by its charging power, the way we once judged a combustion car by its engine output. The A2 e-tron is a reminder that at the charger, what counts is the number of kilometres recovered, not the number of kilowatts absorbed. With consumption of around 12 kWh per 100 km, its 105 kW deliver about 350 kilometres in twenty-six minutes, something a thirstier SUV does not reach despite twice the power.

Figures are still missing, and significant ones, starting with AC charging power and pricing. We will update this article after the world premiere.

A compact like the A2 e-tron will use only a fraction of the power available at our rapid charging stations, which go up to 400 kW per charging point, and that is exactly as it should be: what matters is that it gets its 105 kW from start to finish, without sharing supply with the bay next door. Autocharge starts the session automatically, with no card and no app.

Electra+ Essential: €1.99 a month with no commitment, and €0.10 off per kWh on every charge on the Electra network.

Electra+ Smart: €4.99 a month with no commitment, and €0.20 off per kWh on every charge on the Electra network.

Both plans also give access to a preferential rate at Atlante, Fastned and Ionity, detailed on our pricing page. Paying annually cuts the subscription by 16%.

Source: Electra pricing and Electra+ page, accessed on 26 August 2026.

To place this charging power against other models, see our charging times table and our guide to rapid charging. Stations near you are on the Electra map.

The efficiency data quoted comes from the releases published by Audi in March and August 2026. The charging and capacity figures come from a prototype drive and have not yet been confirmed by the manufacturer.