Audi is getting into the e-scooter craze.
While it's not launching a fleet of rentable electronic scooters just yet, it is unveiling an e-scooter concept. Called the E-tron, it's due to release in late 2020. Press materials show it's a four-wheeled portable transportation device that looks like a hybrid trolly cart and longboard. Audi said it hits a maximum speed of 12.5 miles per hour, weighs 26 pounds (12kg), and has a 12.5-mile (20km) range.
Oh, and it will cost around €2,000 in Europe (roughly $2,240), so it's not exactly an impulse buy. Audi seems to be targetting carless city-dwellers who normally get around on foot, by skateboard, or by moped. Keep in mind it also has some competition from VW, which has an electric scooter of its own, as well as General Motors, which is making e-bikes, and Ford, which bought a scooter company.
Audi's take is a bit more interesting than those other solutions, purely because of how the E-tron operates. Instead of standing facing forward, as you would with a typical e-scooter, your torso goes to the side, and you only hold on and twist the front handlebar with a single hand. To accelerate or brake, you twist the handle, while your other hand can wave around giving turn signals to nearby vehicles.
The battery is in the handle, too, and there's a display that'll show you its charge. Furthermore, there are rear lights with brake lights an daytime running lights, plus Audi said E-tron will feature Bluetooth connectivity and theft protection.