Audi r8 e-tron electric sports car may not be dead after all

The on-again-off-again Audi R8 e-tron project may be back on again, if the Audi enthusiast website fortitude.com is to be believed.  The e-tron concept was first unveiled at the September 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show, but has undergone several revisions since.  At that time it was a “true quattro” with four wheel drive coming from four electric motors, and precise traction control for excellent handling.  According to fortitude.com, the current design has two electric motors independently powering the rear wheels, providing some torque vectoring and handling improvements.

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The original production date of 2012 has, of course, passed in part because Audi “re-eaxmined” the project early in 2012.  It may be that “production” was placed on hold, but that Audi is still researching and using the platform as a technology showcase.

The current model has two permanent magnet synchronous motors, capable of delivering 376 hp (280 Kw) and 604 ft-lbs (820 Nm) of torque.  This gives a 0-60 time of 4.2 seconds, which is a touch faster than the Performance Tesla Model S.  The dual rear motors offer more torque vectoring flexibility than any mechanical differential gear system, because each motor can be independently controlled and could theoretically be configured so one motor is braking (regenerating) while the other is powering.

The curb weight is 3,924 lbs (1,780 kg), and is achieved through extensive use of carbon-fiber reinforced plastic, and other lightweight advanced materials, to save weight.

The 48.6 kilowatt-hour battery pack is enough to provide a 133.6 miles (215 km) driving range on the the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC).

Source: fortitude.com

About David Herron

David Herron is a writer and software engineer living in Silicon Valley. He primarily writes about electric vehicles, clean energy systems, climate change, peak oil and related issues. When not writing he indulges in software projects and is sometimes employed as a software engineer. David has written for sites like PlugInCars and TorqueNews, and worked for companies like Sun Microsystems and Yahoo.

About David Herron

David Herron is a writer and software engineer living in Silicon Valley. He primarily writes about electric vehicles, clean energy systems, climate change, peak oil and related issues. When not writing he indulges in software projects and is sometimes employed as a software engineer. David has written for sites like PlugInCars and TorqueNews, and worked for companies like Sun Microsystems and Yahoo.

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