Electric Audi models will be capable of fast charging to 80 percent in less than 12 minutes by 2020, the company has claimed.

Audi has just revealed its first electric-only model, the E-tron SUV, which is capable of charging to 80% in 30 minutes using the 150kW fast chargers currently being rolled out across Europe.

However, these 150kW chargers, part of the Ionity network that's joint-owned by Audi, BMW, Ford, Mercedes and others, are already capable of 350kW charging and are ready to be upgraded when battery technology develops enough to be capable of using them.

Audi’s third electric model, the E-tron GT, will be its first to have batteries capable of charging at 350kW when it arrives in 2020, senior E-tron product marketing manager Johannes Eckstein confirmed.

Currently, battery technology is not advanced enough to accommodate the electricity flow rate of 350kW charging, but next-generation batteries such as that expected for the E-tron GT will allow for this.

Range anxiety is a major barrier to electric vehicle uptake, so being able to charge an electric model in around 10 minutes will have a dramatic impact in perception and usability. The average time to refuel and pay for petrol and diesel is seven minutes.

This news tallies with sibling brand Porsche’s claim that its Taycan electric car, which is due to arrive in 2020, will be capable of “adding 400km in roughly 15 minutes” through 350kW charging points.