Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Board Member for Technical Development at Audi, told Car and Driver that the upcoming Q7 e-tron will feature a wireless induction charging system. In fact, he believes plug-in hybrids and electric cars will never reach their full market potential unless wireless inductive charging spreads across the fleet.
“It’s not so convenient today to take a cable and plug it in and [unplug it] repeatedly for some people,” Hackenberg explained. “In my own garage, I sometimes have to go around the car with the cable or over the car and around the tools to get to the plug-in point, so I know we have to hurry with inductive charging.”
Audi's technical boss acknowledged that the current system costs more than €1,000 ($1,335 CAD), while adding that “we’re not far from the time when the car will park itself, so it’s perfectly aligned with the induction plate.”
Audi hasn’t yet specified if and when the Q7 e-tron will go on sale in North America. The vehicle will launch in Europe early next year, so we might get further details at that time.