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.
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
- Highway design could decrease death and injury risk, if “we” chose smarter designs - March 28, 2015
- GM really did trademark “range anxiety”, only later to abandon that mark - March 25, 2015
- US Government releases new regulations on hydraulic fracturing, that some call “toothless” - March 20, 2015
- Tesla Motors magic pill to solve range anxiety doesn’t quite instill range confidence - March 19, 2015
- Update on Galena IL oil train – 21 cars involved, which were the supposedly safer CP1232 design - March 7, 2015
- Another oil bomb train – why are they shipping crude oil by train? – Symptoms of fossil fuel addiction - March 6, 2015
- Chevron relinquishes fracking in Romania, as part of broader pull-out from Eastern European fracking operations - February 22, 2015
- Answer anti- electric car articles with truth and pride – truth outshines all distortions - February 19, 2015
- Apple taking big risk on developing a car? Please, Apple, don’t go there! - February 16, 2015
- Toyota, Nissan, Honda working on Japanese fuel cell infrastructure for Japanese government - February 12, 2015
