Ingolstadt have revealed a production-ready Audi R8 e-tron EV at the Geneva show.
It’s been on the cards for a while now – we saw an e-tron concept of the previous gen. R8 as far back as 2009 – but a lack of suitable battery tech and high costs stalled the project in the concept phase. To their credit, Audi did say an electric R8 was still in their plans and they have kept their word.
Alongside the V10-powered second gen. R8 on Audi’s Geneva stand sits the EV version that will also be available to order. Pricing and availability details for the R8 e-tron will be announced at a later date.
Drivetrain
The R8 e-tron features a large, T-shaped lithium-ion battery, structurally integrated into the centre tunnel and behind the occupant cell. The 92 kW/h-capacity battery powers two electric motors driving the rear wheels and provides a peak output of 340 kW and a huge 920 N.m. It will do the 0-100 km/h sprint in 3,9 secs and its top speed can be limited to either 210 km/h or 250 km/h.
Audi claim a range of 450 km and, using a DC fast-charger, the R8 e-tron can be fully charged in less than two hours.
Chassis
Because of the battery’s extra weight, Audi’s whitecoats have made more use of carbon-fibre to lighten the chassis – particularly the rear-section module comprising the luggage compartment, with the material corrugated to ensure extra strength. The car also features targeted torque vectoring for improved handling.
The R8 e-tron also has some aerodynamic enhancements to both the body and wheels reducing the drag coefficient (cd) value to 0.28.
