Audi has announced the arrival of the R8 e-tron by claiming a new Nürburgring lap record for a series production electric powered vehicle. The all-electric R8 e-tron lapped the Nordschleife in 8:09.099, impressive for a production-based model, but still some way off the Toyota–Radical TMG EV P001 (7:47.794).
The R8 e-tron was first previewed in concept form at the 2009 Frankfurt motor show. According to Audi the production model has a pair of electric motors, each producing 280kW/820Nm (560kW/1640Nm combined).
We’re not exactly sure how this works, and there’s no firm details just yet, but Audi say a total of over 4900Nm of torque can be sent to the rear wheels from standstill. Bring on all-electric power!
Markus Winkelhock, part of the winning crew from the Nürburgring 24 hour race, was at the wheel for the R8 e-tron’s record run. Normally the R8 e-tron is limited to 200km/h, but the limiter was raised to 250km/h for the record.
However, proving the 1780kg e-tron is no slouch, Winkelhock completed two timed laps with the 200km/h limiter still in place and recorded times of 8:30.873 and 8:26.096.
“The record drives were a fantastic experience for me,†said Markus Winkelhock. “Of course, the R8 e-tron is a production car, not a racing car with the assistance of aerodynamics.
“But with its low center of gravity and rear biased weight distribution, it brings with it a lot of sporty qualities. The torque with which the electric motors propel the car uphill beats everything that I know – even if they make hardly any noise in the process, which at the start was really a completely new experience for me.â€
The official launch of the R8 e-tron will take place towards the end of 2012. For now Audi has kept much of the finer detail under wraps, but has revealed the car has a range of around 215km and can reach 100km/h in 4.6 seconds. Up to 49kWh of energy is stored in a T-shaped rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which is mounted in the center tunnel between the passenger cell and rear wheels.
More from Audi after the break, including some rather nice shots of the R8 e-tron attacking the Nordschleife.