Audi e-tron revealed at Frankfurt
September 16, 2009 by David Twomey
German manufacturer Audi has revealed the highlight of its efforts at the Frankfurt Motor Show with the unveiling of the Audi e-tron, a high-performance sports car with a purely electric drive system.
Four motors, two each at the front and rear axles, drive the wheels, making the concept car a true Audi quattro.
Producing 230kW of power and an absurd sounding 4500Nm of torque, the two-seater accelerates from 0 to 100km/h in 4.8 seconds, and from 60 to 120km/h in 4.1 seconds.
The lithium-ion battery provides a truly usable energy content of 42.4 kilowatt-hours to enable a range of approximately 248 kilometres.
Revealing the Audi e-tron the company said the performance figures were by no means the only evidence of the consistent and holistic strategy.
The design makes it clear that the e-tron belongs in the major leagues of sports cars, and the package takes into account the specific realities of an electric vehicle.
The battery is directly behind the passenger cabin for an optimal centre of gravity and axle load distribution.
The e-tron is able to freely distribute the powerful torque of its four electric motors to the wheels as required.
Audi says this so-called torque vectoring allows for dazzling dynamics and an undreamed-of level of agility and precision when cornering.
Audi has taken a new and in some cases revolutionary approach to many of the technical modules.
A heat pump is used to efficiently warm up and heat the interior.
The drive system, the power electronics and the battery are controlled by an innovative thermal management system that is a crucial component for achieving the car’s range without compromising its high level of interior comfort.
At the same time Audi says that networking the vehicle electronics with the surroundings, which is referred to as car-to-x communication, opens new dimensions for the optimisation of efficiency, safety and convenience.
Print it: 
Audi should use this design for the next model TT. Looks great except for the grill/air dam/whatever the hell that is on the front of it…
Put me down for two. Absolute work of art. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more stunning car – interior aside (I don’t think anything will every beat the Panamera).
GEEEZ its not THAT good!!!
BMW’s effort is better than this.
Its good to see more exotic EV’s out there rather than the usual city runners. This will give Tesla a run for its money. A bit slow off the mark in comparison to the Tesla and the Lightning GT but a beauty to look at. Its going to come with a stiff price tag!
Did anyone else notice there were no Hydrogen cars at the show?
LOL, 4500Nm of torque! Correct me if I’m wrong, that’s more than what a lot of big trucks put out? And those wheels, they’re insane!
The Germans are coming!
Now that’s a hell of a drive train. If this finds its way in to future models the competition should be very worried.
4500nm of torque? That’s sounds like neck breaking instant acceleration.
That is a truly stunning car, and the Torque, OMG. Did I ever mention how much I loike Audi’s?
I thought the 0-100 times would have been quicker with figures like that. 230kw & 4500nm. Especially with all that torque from 0 RPM
Its probably has a poor 0-100 due to the gearing they have to use as its a 1 speed (0-top speed in 1 gear). So they had to make it pretty long to get a decent top speed but sacrificing acceleration.
spot on sambo,
with 4500nm,little weight,and CONVENTIONAL gearing,and esc would be on all the time,and 0-100 in around 3-4 sec.think “funny car”.doesn’t work in the real world but,although it does have quite a decent range.something like this but must have the makers of the “tesla” car trembling in their boots…
And I’d bet there is a lot of weight with 4 motors and heaps of batteries.
4.8 seconds is quite respectable for a 230KW car, if they may matched the acceleration to the Torque, you’d wind up in hospital with the doctors reinserting your lower intestine and a professional detailer to remove the stains from the drivers seat.
lol, Maybe its electronically limited until you’ve passed your space shuttle level 1 training?
That body and those numbers are insane but Audi have to do something with that weird interior. They make the best in the world and that just looks overly minimalist.
On the other hand I love it.
I hate clutter in a car, that interior looks clean and roomy, the seats look neat and futureistic…. Oh god, they have copyied a Star Trek set!!!!
Exactly what i was thinking and i dont want to be reminded of trekkies when driving in one of these beauties.
Those wheels are insane! And the torque!
Insanely ugly Alex.
BMWs latest green Supercar craps over this in looks.
Agreed.
you could tow a small house with all that torque.. is there any point of having so dam much?
I prefer the styling of this to the R8’s.
I agree, it looks enough like an R8 to carry over the styling. But different enough to be a new model.
Looks very cool in those pics.
I don’t understand the “concept” idea. It just seems to be a pretty drawing, and some made up numbers. Until they actually build it, then it seems in the realms of schoolboy dreams. The only thing that seems valid to me is the graphic design element.
That looks brilliant. It like an R8 that’s been softened by a TT. I really, really like it, but simply for stand out quality and the fact it’s probably a better car, I like the BMW ED Concept more.
Thats ace, I’m really waiting for the day that car don’t use petrol/diesel at all. It’s going to be the only thing in 20-30yrs time and with cars looking like this who gives astiff about fuel guzzlers
Honestly, the more I read about electric cars the more I see them as the future of motoring, and with torque like that – bring it on.
One day our grandkids will look back at us and laugh about the fact that we used hydrocarbons to fuel our internal combustion pollution machines.
Intersting idea, and inevitable trend towards greener cars, but i can’t imagine the joy of driving a silent eletric super car. A super car is not jus about the performance, but also the sound and the way the engine revs. Being a Gen Y kid, i just wish i can save up enough to buy a proper sports car with a petrol engine before they disappear forever. Hopefully the future will have eletric cars for everyday driving, leaving petrol powered sports car for weekend fun.
Theme : Addressing Range Anxieties.
1. The range of noticeable EVs are sufficient to meet the daily driving needs of more than 95% of drivers ((The vast majority of people (95%) drive less than 100/km a day, 82% of the respondents said they drive 40 miles or less a day, with an average daily driving distance of 27 miles.)).
As for long trip needs, all but Americans and many of developed nations have existing automobiles, in this regard, EVs are best suited to their daily use until the infrastructure comes into wide use. And people are already doing that.
2. The on-board IT system shows the driving radius on a maximum range display under the current state of charge and calculates if the vehicle is within range of a pre-set destination. And the navigation system points out the latest information on available charging stations within the current driving range.
3. In 21st century, home, workplace, or stores etc also serve as a charge station as electricity is everywhere. With a long extension code inside, just in case, riders can get help from almost anyplace, not to mention the stores to provide charge service, and many of EVs are equipped with a quick charger.
4. Unlike fuel price, as time goes by, the price of battery is expected to drop dramatically in the foreseeable future as with computer components, in that case, mounting additional battery might be not a problem. And the EVs that come in a range of 200 to 300 miles between charges are on fast-tract toward mass-market, as Batteries become more efficient.
5. Indian EV maker Reva said it has also set about addressing anxieties about e-car range, this fantastic wireless electricity/ “instant remote recharge” will be widely available down the line.
6. The vehicle-to-grid communication technology is helping the battery serve as a storage to prevent the costly blackout standing at about $90 to 100bn per year. That means utilities are shedding cost for additional storage facilities and ratepayers are selling electricity during peak demand so that EVs can make more economic sense, as we know. ((The cost of running the vehicle should be 1 to 2 cents per mile, compared to 10 cents or more per mile to run a gas car. Electric vehicles require little maintenance — no oil changes, for instance –. Better still, they can sell electricity or charge at the stores offering charge service.))
It is also in the best interest of electricity utilities that EVs are going mainstream, thereby they need to put in charge stands where needed around highways, major roads with card readers or cell phone tech.
7. I’m hopeful that the charge network will extend the select districts to nation-wide scale throughout the world, and this environment can usher in active private investings in EVs. And I remain confident that investing in charge stands could give rise to multiple times as much investing effect, so to speak, some billions of investing, this simple deployment, could call into the most-sought energy independence and solid recovery around the world.
Thank You !