Skoda’s rival to one of the most popular electric cars in the world is coming with a new battery update that’s set to trickle down to the rest of the range.
The Skoda Enyaq Laurin & Klement, or L&K, is a new variant for the brand’s Tesla Model Y rival that debuts a new battery setup and more power.
Not a direct replacement for any variants already announced, the L&K comes with 210kW and a range of 570km under WLTP testing, effectively becoming an Enyaq ‘85’ in terms of its performance over the Enyaq 80 variant – which has 150kW and a 529km range from its 77kWh battery. Skoda doesn’t confirm if the L&K’s battery is the exact same.
Škoda Auto Board Member for Technical Development Johannes Neft said the L&K is a precursor to the rest of the range being updated with similar improvements.
“In the new Enyaq L&K, we are introducing several technical upgrades that will subsequently be used in the other models of this series,” he said.
Despite the power update being unlikely to make each model also a 210kW offering, the key functionality that comes with the new battery for the Enyaq is a pre-heat function that brings the battery up to a temperature suitable for charging.
“Based on customer feedback, we added battery preheating management, which also uses navigation data. This function optimises the charging performance even in cold weather,” Neft said.
Similarly, the battery is able to preserve itself by only giving drivers access to its full 210kW output if “the temperature of the battery is between 23°C and 50°C and its charge level exceeds 88 per cent” and only for 30 seconds at a time.
Whether the L&K model specifically comes to Australia, its battery and tech updates will be found in models that arrive on our shores – though whether from their March 2024 launch is yet to be confirmed.
Keyword: More range, more power! 2024 Skoda Enyaq 'L&K' variant will bring upgrades to the whole range for Tesla Model Y rival