Audi e-tron GT Sets New Bjørn Nyland Highway Range Challenge Record

We know the Audi e-tron GT is an incredibly fast, incredibly fun electric grand touring car. However, we also know that its range is limited when compared to cars like the longer-range Tesla Model S. But just because the e-tron GT has a lower overall range, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s actually worse at long-distance driving. In fact, EV range tester Bjørn Nyland just set a new record for his Highway Range Challenge in the e-tron GT.

Bjørn Nyland’s 1,000 km highway challenge consists of him taking an EV along the same 1,000 km route through Norway’s highway system, to see how long it takes. Nyland starts off with a full battery and uses the highway system’s fast-charging network, in this case Ionity chargers.

The first stop came after 293 km (182 miles) and about two and a half hours in. He uses a DC fast charger to top off the battery in only a few minutes, charging at around 130 kW, which is a bit shy of the charger’s 150 kW speed max. It’s also well below the e-tron GT’s max 270 kW charging speed.

At his second stop, he shows why Tesla has a massive charging advantage, as Tesla Superchargers are far more reliable than every other charging station. At an Ionity charger, Nyland used two different chargers that wouldn’t charge at the e-tron GT’s max speed, despite being rated for up to 350 kW. So he switched to a third, which finally delivered around 250 kW charging.

Still, despite a couple of setbacks, the Audi e-tron GT, with Nyland behind the wheel, completed the 1,000 km challenge in 9:35 hours, beating out the Tesla Model S Long Range Raven and becoming the fastest car Nyland ever tested to 1,000 km.

The Audi e-tron GT was able to do that based on a good enough range, fast enough average speed, and very fast charging speed. While a Tesla Model 3 would technically be able to beat the e-tron GT, using Tesla V3 Superchargers, there aren’t enough V3 Superchargers in a given route to actually test that out just yet. Even still, this test proves that the e-tron GT can be a very viable long-distance cruiser if you live in an area with an extensive charging network. To be able to travel 1,000 km in under ten hours is fast enough that it can be done without the EV being much a hindrance at all. For any worried potential Audi e-tron GT customers, this video should be very reassuring.