Audi’s new service gives access to 400,000 EV chargers across 27 countries

Audi has created a new charging service which gives owners of its EVs quick and easy access to charge points across Europe.

Audi is collaborating with the wider Volkswagen Group and its Elli charging brand to help with the new service. It will replace the existing Audi e-tron Charging Service which was launched four years ago to coincide with the firm’s first electric model.

The new service will give access to around 400,000 charging points across Europe, operated by more than 800 different providers. Audi says that around 1,900 of these units are high-performance chargers from Ionity.

Customers will be granted access to ‘competitive rates’ of charging, while those who purchase an electric vehicle will see Audi pay the base fee for the ‘pro tariff’ for the first year.

The pro tariff is aimed at EV drivers who frequently have to charge up while on the road. In the UK, it will come with a monthly base fee of £12.95, but it’ll mean that drivers get a lower price of 35p per kilowatt hour at slower AC charging points and 43p per kilowatt hour at faster DC ones. The pro tariff also sees Ionity rapid charging come in at 31p per kilowatt hour.

There’s also an option for drivers who only occasionally use public charging. Called the plus tariff, it has a monthly fee of £6.95 and gives ‘economical prices’ at all stations, according to Audi.

When travelling abroad, country-specific prices apply which means that drivers are able to judge their costs before setting off outside of the UK.

The location of compatible charge points for the service will be automatically integrated into the car’s navigation system, too. Owners will also be able to manage their current plan and even switch to a new one via the myAudi smartphone app, too, which will also show the prices of a selected charging location.