Autoblog

Spy Shots: Audi R8 e-tron hits the road

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 09:30:00 EST

Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupe, Audi, Electric

Audi surprised the motoring press with its first R8-based e-tron concept back at last year's Frankfurt Motor Show and has since shown off a repainted, slightly modified version in LA and finally a third take on the electric sportscar concept earlier this year in Detroit. We don't expect the German automaker to slow down its march to putting high-powered electric vehicles on the road any time soon, as evidenced by these spy shots of a heavily disguised e-tron roaming the streets in Germany.

At first glance, there's little indication that the car pictured here is anything but a run-of-the-mill (if such a thing exists) R8 with a psychedelic paint job. A closer examination reveals a complete lack of exterior cooling ducts and a blocked-off rear compartment.

There's no indication of what electric powertrain exists in this prototype, but previous concepts have used four individual electric motors with enough power to push the car to 60 miles per hour in under five seconds. Energy storage comes courtesy of a 54kW lithium ion battery pack. Audi is promising to have the e-tron on the roads by 2012 with a limited production run of no more than 1,000 units.

[Source: Autocar]

Spy Shots: Audi R8 e-tron hits the road originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 09 Jun 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: More hybrids, EVs coming from Audi

Michael Harley — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 19:26:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, SUV, Plants/Manufacturing, Technology, Crossover, Audi, Electric

Audi A8 Hybrid concept - Click above for high-res image gallery

Thanks to the Volkswagen Group's strategy to be the leading player in the alternative-powertrain market within the next decade, Audi has announced a rapid expansion of hybrid and electric vehicles over the next few years. The German automaker wants to improve efficiency of its internal combustion engines (both gasoline and diesel) by 30 percent - and it wants five percent of the brand's model line to be electric. "In the future, our customers will be able to choose from an increasingly broad range of driveline technologies," said Audi CEO Rupert Stadler.

Joining the A8 Hybrid sedan, shown in concept form at the Geneva Motor Show, will be the A6 Hybrid arriving on its next-generation platform within the next two years. That will be accompanied by the soon-to-be-launched Q5 Hybrid crossover. Audi intends to brand its "e-tron" name to represent the company's electronic mobility lineup (just like it did with "quattro" - now synonymous with all-wheel drive). Unlike its competitor BMW, which is working on smaller commuter-type urban-based EVs, Audi is engineering its vehicles for a more expensive niche. The new models are expected to debut in 2012.

Gallery: Geneva 2010: Audi A8 Hybrid Concept

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

Report: More hybrids, EVs coming from Audi originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 19:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Audi A1 e-tron runs like Volt, advances ER-EV concept

Sam Abuelsamid — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 23:35:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Hybrid, Geneva Motor Show, Hatchback, Audi, Electric

Audi A1 e-tron concept - Click above for high-res image gallery

After teasing us with a few goodies yesterday, Audi has just released technical details on its new A1 e-tron concept that debuts later today at the Geneva Motor Show. As we already knew, the A1 uses an extended range electric architecture like the Chevrolet Volt, but with a compact and power-dense Wankel rotary engine/generator to keep the battery alive after power from the grid is depleted. The diagrams released by Audi show that the Wankel is mounted in the car's rear behind the T-shaped battery pack that sits mostly under the rear seat.

The lithium ion battery pack has a capacity of 12 kilowatt-hours, which is claimed to provide about 30 miles of range on a charge. Unlike the 1,000+ pound pack in the original e-tron concept, this unit weighs in at just 330 pounds. The electric motor provides a standard output of 45 kW or 61 horsepower, though peak power of 75 kW or 102 hp is available in short bursts and keeps the car's 0-62 mile-per-hour time around 10 seconds. The motor and all of the power electronics reside in the car's front where the internal combustion powerplant of a conventional A1 would normally be found.

The Wankel weighs in at just 154 lbs and displaces just 254 cc of volume in its single rotor. The whole unit is small enough to sit below the cargo floor of the A1. Running at a constant 5,000 rpm, the rotary motor can extend the A1 e-tron's range to 130 miles. Why not longer? The fuel tank holds only 3.17 gallons. With the Wankel running, Audi says the A1 e-tron will return about 124 miles per gallon U.S.

Of historical note, the first ever production car with a Wankel rotary engine was introduced by NSU back in 1964. NSU later merged with Auto Union, which also included Audi, the sole surviving brand of the group.

Gallery: Audi A1 e-tron concept

[Source: Audi]

Continue reading Audi A1 e-tron runs like Volt, advances ER-EV concept

Audi A1 e-tron runs like Volt, advances ER-EV concept originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 01 Mar 2010 23:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FOLLOW-UP: Audi says electric e-tron puts out 501.5 lb-ft

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:58:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Marketing/Advertising, Audi, Electric

Audi e-tron concept - Click above for high-res image gallery

Will the real torque figure of the Audi e-tron concept please stand up? While the German automaker continues to claim its all-electric concept sportscar manages a stout, locomotive-like 4,500 Nm (3,319.03 pound-feet) of torque, the sleuthing boys at Automobile Magazine weren't buying it, instead coming up with a much more mundane rating of 252 lb-ft of torque after performing some back-of-a-paper-napkin calculations.

It would seem that the real torque figure lies somewhere in between those two estimates, though significantly closer to the lower, unadvertised number: 501.5 lb-ft. That's the total combined output of the four individual electric motors, says Audi. The astronomical 3,319 is the torque as measured at the wheels after being geared down and multiplied. So, why the disparity between the actual torque of the motors and the figure espoused by Audi to the motoring press?

Well, besides the obvious answer that 3,319 lb-ft at the wheels sounds much more impressive, Audi's engineers apparently thought the larger number was more indicative of the actual feeling of all the push generated by the four electric motors when accelerating from a dead stop, as the maximum torque figure is achieved right from zero RPM.

Regardless, using the still-impressive rating of 501.5 lb-ft is, in our opinion, much more accurate and easier to compare with the rest of the automotive field than the seemingly disingenuous 3,319 figure, and it's the number we plan to use when describing the car from this point forward.

Gallery: Audi e-tron concept

[Source: Green Car Advisor]

FOLLOW-UP: Audi says electric e-tron puts out 501.5 lb-ft originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Audi e-tron sales to be limited to 1,000 units?

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Audi, Electric

Audi e-tron concept - Click above for high-res image gallery

Audi may not be positioning itself as a "green brand," but it's still putting a rather big toe into the environmentally-friendly waters of electric sportscars with its R8-based e-tron, which is reportedly headed for production in 2012.

As a refresher - as if you needed one - the e-tron debuted as a concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September with some truly impressive statistics: four separate electric motors with 230 kW (313 horsepower) and 4,500 Nm (3,319.03 pound-feet) of torque (sort of), which is enough to push it to 62 mph in a mere 4.8 seconds.

So, um... want one? The line forms at the rear, and you'd better not dawdle as Audi says its only planning to build 1,000 of examples. Naturally, pricing has yet to be set, but it's reportedly expected to be "above R8 levels." Duh. Regardless, with all those lithium ion batteries and their associated electronic gadgetry, we don't imagine that Audi plans to make much of a profit when it finally goes on sale in two years.

Gallery: LA 2009: Orange Audi e-tron

[Source: Autocar]

Audi e-tron sales to be limited to 1,000 units? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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REPORT: Audi twists e-tron concept's 3319 lb-ft torque rating

Michael Harley — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 21:27:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Technology, Audi, Electric

Audi e-tron concept - Click above for high-res image gallery

When introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, Audi boasted its all-electric e-tron was fitted with four electric motors producing "230 kW (313 horsepower) and 4,500 Nm (3,319.03 pound-feet) of torque." While the e-tron's styling may have raised a few eyebrows, we were notably moved by the quoted torque figure - especially when we considered that the twin-turbocharged Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG, one of the most powerful vehicles on the road, makes 738 lb-ft in comparison. We were stupefied by the number, and it set off more than a few debates among our group, but Audi made no attempt to clarify...

The team at Automobile Magazine, initially duped like everyone else, has recognized that Audi was quoting torque measured at the wheels, not at the output shaft - the industry standard. Measuring torque at the wheels takes the multiplication effect of the transmission and final drive gears into account. The resulting figures are generally ten-fold of what they would be at the crank (meaning cars like a 3.6-liter Chevrolet Malibu packs a similar 3,115 lb-ft of torque). Audi's e-tron torque figures are not exactly dishonest, but they are using a completely different evaluation without making mention of it in the press release. Long story short, Automobile estimates the e-tron makes about 252 lb-ft of torque, or a bit less than the Tesla Roadster's 273 lb-ft.

Gallery: LA 2009: Orange Audi e-tron

Gallery: Frankfurt 2009: Audi e-tron concept

[Source: Automobile]

REPORT: Audi twists e-tron concept's 3319 lb-ft torque rating originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Dec 2009 21:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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