ProtonClub Automotive: AUDI R8 E-TRON

Tuesday, 15 June 2010

AUDI R8 E-TRON

Not only did Audi win Le Mans in convincing fashion, the four rings showed off a prototype of the Audi R8 e-tron electric sports car at the race. Racing legend Frank Biela took the e-tron out for a spin in the Le Mans vers le futur demo event for EVs. The previous time Audi had an e-tron on show was at Detroit, with the tech wrapped in a TT-sized body.

The R8 e-tron is powered by four motors connected to a wheel each for quattro grip. Combined, they provide 313 hp and 4500 Nm of torque (no it’s no a typo), propelling the two-seater from 0-100 km/h in just 4.8 seconds. 70% of power goes to the rear wheels while the rest goes to the fronts. The battery sits behind the passenger cabin for a 42:58 weight distribution.

Torque vectoring from the four motors mean that understeer and oversteer can be corrected by not only targeted activation of the brakes, but also by precise increases in power by few milliseconds. The R8 e-tron is claimed to remain extremely neutral even under great lateral acceleration, “hustling through corners as if on the proverbial rails” according to Audi.

The car’s lithium-ion battery can be charged from a household plug socket (230 volts/16 amperes), taking six to eight hours to be refilled. Kinetic energy from the brakes is recuperated, channelled to the alternator and converted into electrical energy. It all sounds good, but when is Ingolstadt finally putting an e-tron into production?

Gallery after the jump.