- audi is offering a free 10-year subscription to solar power that could potentially power 2400 miles of driving per year by letting e-tron owners get solar energy from panels to power their evs.
- only the first 3000 customers can get in on the deal.
- the offer (and the ev) are all part of audi's carbon-neutral mission:zero initiative.
audi's first electric vehicle in the united states, the e-tron suv, now comes with access to off-site solar power in a deal limited to 3000 customers. according to audi and its partner in the venture, clean-energy supplier arcadia, the 10-year subscription will include enough electricity to offset the cost of about 2400 miles per year, or what audi estimates is one full e-tron charge each month.
the deal is available for both new and pre-owned 2019 e-tron vehicles sold on or after february 4, 2020. it doesn't involve taking the car to sun itself under any solar panels but happens in a way that's invisible to the consumer. after signing up, customers pay their utility bill through arcadia, which will calculate the credits or savings that the remote solar panels generate and apply that to the customer's bill.
this attention-getting idea is all part of audi’s mission:zero program, in which the company has targeted reaching carbon neutrality. currently, the company's e-tron plant in belgium is carbon neutral. according to audi, this partnership and subscription have the potential to offset 22,000 tons of carbon dioxide or 2.3 million gallons of gasoline. also, it could save some e-tron owners some cash, which is always a nice bonus.