The Most Promising Audi Ready For Production

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Audi is set to release the R8 e-tron, the electric version of the R8, later this year. With improved their battery technology and a range of 280 miles, the vehicle may be a legitimate competitor to Tesla's Model S.

With fuel efficiency standards set to become much stricter in the next 10 years, requiring automakers to drastically increase the average fuel economy of all new cars, which should reach 54.5 mpg by 2025, we can expect to see more competition in the electric and hybrid cars market. A couple of models have already been introduced to the market, including the McLaren P1, the Porsche 918 Spyder, and the Ferrari LaFerrari, which have been getting a lot of media attention and have been praised for their excellent performances that are similar to those of some of the best conventional supercars.

Now, these magnificent cars made by manufacturers that have a long history of building high-performance sports cars are about to get serious competition from a company that made its first supercar only recently.

It's Audi's R8 e-tron, the electric version of the R8, which the German luxury car maker said will go into production later this year. The R8 e-tron concept was unveiled almost five years ago, but it wasn't being seriously considered as a potential production model, because the company didn't feel the car's range would meet consumers' demands. But, they have managed to improve their battery technology significantly over the past few years, and have announced that the e-tron's range has been increased to 280 miles, which is more than double its original range, and that is why they feel it's finally ready for production.

Thanks to a series of breakthroughs with the car's packaging technology and the numerous improvements it has made to various electronic parts, Audi was able to develop a more efficient drivetrain that will help provide great performances, in addition to the extended range.

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While no performance specifications on the car have been released so far, we can assume that they will be pretty close to the specs of the R8 e-tron's prototype versions. The prototypes had two 140-kilowatt electric motors, delivering about 380 horsepower and over 600 lb-ft of torque. They also had an impressive 0 – 60 mph acceleration time, at 4.2 seconds, which is surprisingly good, considering that they weigh about 4,000 pounds, or nearly 500 pounds more than the gasoline-powered R8 V10.

"The R8 e-tron concept was unveiled almost five years ago, but it wasn't being seriously considered as a potential production model, because the company didn't feel the car's range would meet consumers' demands."

With such an excellent fuel economy, that ranks right up there with Tesla's Model S, which is thought to have the greatest range available today, the R8 e-tron should have a good chance of performing well in the electric vehicle market, as it won't be affected by the range anxiety issue.

However, it will be a very limited production, as Audi doesn't plan to build more than a few hundred units, and will primarily use the e-tron to further develop its electric car technology. Also, the company has said that it will only offer the car upon customer request. There is no information as to whether it will ever come to the United States, and what it would cost, but if the standard R8's price is some indication, which comes with a $114,900 price tag, it's safe to say that the all-electric version will be quite expensive, as well.

By Jordan Perch

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Author Bio - Jordan Perch is an automotive fanatic and “safe driving” specialist. He is a writer for DMV.com, which is a collaborative community designed to help ease the stress and annoyance of “dealing with the DMV”

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