Audi has released the first technical details of the A2 e-tron, a compact electric car it says is the most efficient model in its history. In the 140 kW version with the optional efficiency package, preliminary WLTP energy consumption is quoted at 12.8 kWh/100 km, helped by a 0.24 drag coefficient and a 61 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery. The car is due to be unveiled in autumn 2026 as Audi’s electric entry point in the compact class.
Audi has published the first substantial technical brief for the A2 e-tron, the compact electric model it will reveal in autumn 2026. The headline number is an energy consumption figure: 12.8 kWh/100 km on the WLTP cycle, preliminary, for the 140 kW (190 hp) version fitted with the optional efficiency package. Audi states that no production model in its history has used less energy.
The manufacturer’s own footnote puts combined consumption for the A2 e-tron 140 kW in a range of 15.6–12.8 kWh/100 km (preliminary), with CO2 emissions of 0 g/km and an A rating in the German CO2 class system. In other words, 12.8 is the best-case figure at the efficient end of that band rather than a single fixed number for every specification.
“The Audi A2 has been a constant in my career ever since I joined the Volkswagen Group in the 1990s. Even then, its groundbreaking three-liter version made efficiency its hallmark. This is precisely the vision we are carrying forward with the new A2 e-tron: outstanding efficiency, excellent everyday usability, and a clear understanding of what customers expect from modern electric mobility,” says Gernot Döllner, CEO of AUDI AG.
Aerodynamics do a lot of the work
With the efficiency package, the A2 e-tron 140 kW has a drag coefficient of 0.24, which Audi says is the best of any of its compact models. The company points out that above roughly 100 km/h (62 mph), drag accounts for more than half of a car’s total energy demand, so every reduction feeds straight into consumption and range.
The shape is deliberately streamlined — a rounded nose, a flowing roofline and a sharply cut tail — which according to Audi produces less drag than a conventional fastback body. Detail work includes air curtains at the front flanks that steer airflow to suppress turbulence, plus gap reducers and gap breathers that smooth the air around the wheel arches. There is also an active cool-air intake that stays shut during normal driving and at higher speeds, opening only when charging, under hard acceleration or in summer heat to protect the battery and electronics. Together, Audi says these measures cut WLTP energy consumption by up to 0.9 kWh/100 km compared with an otherwise identical car without them.
A drivetrain reworked for part-load
The permanently excited synchronous motor and its surrounding hardware are claimed to be up to 10 percent more efficient than before. Silicon carbide semiconductors replace silicon in the power electronics, reducing switching losses in particular at partial load; a variable switching frequency saves up to 20 watts, and alternative modulation techniques cut switching losses by up to 33 percent against conventional methods, according to Audi.
Inside the motor, thinner laminations — 0.2 mm instead of 0.3 mm — reduce iron losses, and the stator winding moves from a star to a delta configuration to shift operation into more efficient speed ranges. The transmission gets a new low-friction oil, and a tall 10.2:1 final ratio drops motor speed at higher road speeds.
LFP battery, charged to 100 percent
The 140 kW version uses a 61 kWh lithium iron phosphate pack in a cell-to-pack layout, with the cells bonded directly into the housing to raise packing density. Audi notes that LFP needs no rare earth elements, ages more slowly than many alternatives and is regarded as particularly safe — durable enough, the company says, that owners can routinely charge to 100 percent rather than stopping at 80.
The chemistry’s flat voltage curve also keeps power delivery more consistent as the state of charge falls. Audi puts as much weight on the control side: an adapted cooling strategy lifts wallbox charging efficiency to 89.6 percent, and a dedicated algorithm tracks the LFP pack’s state of charge and state of health.
Bidirectional charging is supported. Vehicle-to-Load powers external devices from the car, while Vehicle-to-Home turns it into a domestic energy store; the latter will initially be offered in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and an Audi-recommended charging box is required.
What it means
A sub-13 kWh/100 km figure would place the A2 e-tron among the most frugal electric cars on sale, and it is notable that Audi is chasing it with LFP cells rather than a higher-energy-density chemistry — a route that trades some pack energy for cost, longevity and the ability to charge full without penalty. Audi has not yet published range, charging power, performance figures, dimensions or pricing, so the practical picture is still incomplete.
The A2 e-tron is due to be unveiled in autumn 2026.
Facts: Audi A2 e-tron 140 kW (efficiency package)
- Power: 140 kW (190 hp)
- Energy consumption: 12.8 kWh/100 km (preliminary, WLTP); combined range quoted as 15.6–12.8 kWh/100 km
- CO2 emissions: 0 g/km, CO2 class A
- Battery: 61 kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP), cell-to-pack
- Wallbox charging efficiency: 89.6 percent
- Drag coefficient: 0.24
- Bidirectional charging: Vehicle-to-Load and Vehicle-to-Home (V2H initially Germany, Austria, Switzerland)
- Gear ratio: 10.2:1
- Debut: autumn 2026
Source: www.audi.com