According to a new report, battery shortages have forced Audi to delay the delivery of the E-tron, its first flagship fully electric vehicle. The company has apparently not been able to source enough batteries from LG Chem, the company that’s supplying this crucial component for its electric vehicles.
LG Chem is quite a significant player in this market. It supplies lithium-ion batteries to some of the world’s largest car manufacturers including but not limited to Mecedes-Benz and Audi. The company is believed to be taking advantage of this dominant position by raising prices for lithium-ion batteries meant for electric cars.
The Brussels Times reports that wait times for batteries from LG Chem surged from just two months to “6 to 7 months.” This will result in Audi have to cut down on production as well. The additional delay will hamper Audi’s plans to put out thousands of additional units of its E-tron this year.
The news outlet mentions that Audi will be making only 45,000 units of the E-tron this year, some 10,000 less than it had originally intended. It’s also claimed that the release of the second car in Audi’s E-tron lineup has now been pushed to next year due to this supply issue.
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