Audi's first electric car the e-tron SUV wind top safety pick

The e-tron SUV, Audi's first all-electric car, has been named as a top safety pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

The crash test results

The e-tron SUV is the first electric car to merit this distinction. Tesla's Model 5 and the Chevy Bolt, along with other models, missed out on the award. The IIHS released a number of videos showing the e-tron being smashed at its test facility for the entertainment of prospective buyers and casual viewers alike.

The e-tron earned "good" ratings in all of IIHS 'crashworthiness' categories. The IIHS also found that the car's "Pre Sense Front" automatic emergency breaking system also worked well in the 25 mph test. In the 12 mph test the e-tron slowed down to 1 mph before impact.

Good rating a plus for Audi and the e-tron

The e-tron had a rocky start. The unveiling was delayed after the Audi CEO was arrested for alleged involvement in the Volkswagen Deiselgate emissions cheating scandal. The scandal is described by Wikipedia: "The Volkswagen emissions scandal, also known as Dieselgate or Emissionsgate, began in September 2015, when the United States Environmental Protection Agency issued a notice of violation of the Clean Air Act to German automaker Volkswagen Group. The agency had found that Volkswagen had intentionally programmed turbocharged direct injection diesel engines to activate their emissions controls only during laboratory emissions testing which caused the vehicles' NOx output to meet US standards during regulatory testing, but emit up to 40 times more NOx in real-world driving."

Then the release of the car onto the market was delayed by a battery shortage. No sooner did the e-tron actually hit the road when a few hundred had to be recalled due to a fire hazard.

The competition

After Jaguar's I-Pace the e-tron is one of the very first serious long-range electric cars to hit the luxury segment of the automotive market. The price starts at around $75,000. Other cars are now following. The Mercedes-Benz EQC electric SUV started production the summer. Porsche's first all-electric car that the Taycan will be revealed in just a few weeks as reported on in a recent Digital Journal article.

Previously published in the Digital Journal