We're charging. Again.

Charging the car, that is, as opposed to charging down the Autobahn (although to be fair, I have been doing a fair bit of that as well).

It's Day 3 of my time in Germany to drive the updated Q8 e-tron SUV and Q8 Sportback e-tron SUV. Charging has been built into our various stops - rarely has the battery dropped below 50% (each leg of the journey is no more than 200+km), but having the car plugged in over dinner just makes sense.

It also means you can happily blast down unrestricted sections of the Autobahn without having to worry too much about running low on juice.

Except this time round, we're not having dinner. We're at the Audi Charging Hub in Nuremberg, a pilot project that explores the viability of fast charge stations in urban locations.

Built around 'power cubes' that give second life to battery modules originally housed in prototype and/or test-mule electric Audis, the Charging Hub offers EV drivers high-speed charging, combined with the chance to rest and get refreshments in the attached lounge. Audi owners also have the option of reserving one of the quick-charge points ahead of time.

This model, a rest stop while your vehicle is refuelling, is far from foreign in a place like Germany. Highway rest stops are pretty common - a petrol station with an attached café/diner/convenience store. And it makes sense, right? On longer journeys, it's good to have somewhere to have a quick rest, stock up on snacks, before continuing on your way. And, we don't even have to look that far to find an analogous example closer to home. Just think of the A&W along Malaysia's North-South Highway (yup, that one).

And yes, this is merely a pilot project, but you can see the conceptual model of what the future could look like - charging stations that offer all the amenity that you already expect out of a rest stop.

Back and forth

It's interesting that this forward-looking charging installation is the final stop of our journey, considering we started at the Audi Museum in Ingolstadt that houses quite literally the second oldest Audi car ever built.

Any museum serves to preserve relics of the past, but it also is an opportunity to tell a story of journey and innovation. Starting from humble beginnings, cars have evolved greatly over time.

From humble two-stroke motorcycle engines powering cars targeted at the masses, all the way to race winning cars like the Audi Quattro S1 and the V16-powered Type C, technological advancement is built into automotive (and human) progress.

Pushing ahead

All that culminates at the Audi Driving Experience centre, where past and future collide.

We had the chance to take both the R8 (an outgoing car with a naturally aspirated V10 powertrain that is steadily becoming archaic) and an RS e-tron GT (a monstrously quick all-electric grand tourer) out onto the test track.

The R8 is a glorious and (already) slightly nostalgic celebration of the internal combustion engine. Sprinting around the twisty track with that V10 roaring behind your head, you can’t help but feel invigorated by the lithe sportscar twirling its final hurrah.

That's not to say that the all-electric RS e-tron GT isn't exciting. We clocked a 3.0s century sprint timing (quicker than the stated 3.3s), and taking the car through a long slalom section also proves that dynamic handling certainly isn't dying in tandem with the combustion engine.

And throughout my three days here, the constant companions were the recently updated Q8 e-tron and Q8 Sportback e-tron - two highly capable all-electric SUVs that are the most obvious formula for the present and immediate future of personal mobility.

It's not like we're the novelty here. No, electric SUVs are actually a fairly common sight in this southern region of Germany, helped significantly by what seems like readily available charging infrastructure, and the fact that these cars are produced in the fairly nearby vicinity. (The e-tron GT is produced alongside the R8 at the firm's Neckarsulm plant.)

It does appear that the embrace of electric mobility is notably further along in Germany compared to back home in Singapore. 

Not looking back

Beyond just driving some cars, this was also an opportunity to chart the progress of technology from the past through to the future, and how all of that coalesces in the perpetual present.

The truth is that while old cars in museums may represent the past, we must recognise that at some point in time (back in the day), that technology was considered 'modern and futuristic'. Whether it's the use of aluminium bodywork, moving from a two-cylinder to four-cylinder engine, and even the introduction of quattro all-wheel drive, technology is constantly in flux, and in progress.

With any change, there will always be apprehension. Think back to the dawn of the Internet, as well as the fear that Y2K incited.

But we have to admit that technology, whether it's the combustion engine, anti-lock brakes, or electric, autonomous driving, is what moves the world forward. Yes, Audi may be the most explicit in making a motto out of it ('Vorsprung Durch Technik'), but the reality is that technology drives progress across not just the entire automotive industry, but just about everything our eyes can see, and our hands can touch.

What does the future look like? Digital, electric, all of those things. But fundamentally, the future contingent on improving our lives, and making them better. Just as it has always been, and just as it always will be.