E-tron no more!!
#1
10-26-2012, 11:59 AM
E-tron no more!!
Finally one car manufacturer is seeing the light!! This was just a BAD idea.... Hang some diesels in these sports cars and see shares go up because people will buy them. Proven technology, great sturdy engines, torque up the wazoo.. What is there NOT to like I wonder??
http://editorial.autos.msn.com/blogs...cid=autos_3667
Audi says it will not sell an all-electric version of its R8 supercar, despite the German automaker's earlier promise that it would start full production in four years.
After debuting the R8 e-tron at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show and then parading it around every major motor show -- and don’t forget the famed Nurburgring lap last June -- Audi will only build 10 test models. Instead, Audi board member and newly appointed technical-development honcho Wolfgang Dürheimer is shifting Audi’s research to more practical plug-in hybrids, citing the high price tag of the supercar and range anxiety. The R8 e-tron has a 49-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery that returns about 134 miles on single charge.
But at least one Audi e-model will still get some street time in the U.S. this year.
Audi plans to produce plug-in hybrid versions of the A1, A3, A4, A6 and Q7 models whose batteries can be charged via a household outlet, which the automaker hopes will alleviate range anxiety. Audi is testing the A3 e-tron, a plug-in hybrid variant of the A3 hatchback, in designated U.S. cities as part of an 18-month trial.
As we reported earlier, Audi also plans to replace its legendary quattro all-wheel-drive system system with e-Quattro, which uses batteries and an electric motor to power the rear axle and a gas engine to power the front axle, requiring no driveshaft or central differential to split the torque. While this could improve fuel efficiency, the cost and complexity of batteries could be a concern.
However, don’t write Audi out of the e-race just yet. The automaker completed a three-year collaborative research project with Bosch and a consortium of German universities to develop a variable voltage system for greater efficiency. While the project’s F12 concept car used a production R8 shell, it was never completed.
While Audi has made lots of empty promises, perhaps the F12 research will find its way into the R8 e-trons still locked in the lab -- or better yet, one of the other Audi e-tron models.
[Sources: Motor Trend, Wired]
http://editorial.autos.msn.com/blogs...cid=autos_3667
Audi says it will not sell an all-electric version of its R8 supercar, despite the German automaker's earlier promise that it would start full production in four years.
After debuting the R8 e-tron at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show and then parading it around every major motor show -- and don’t forget the famed Nurburgring lap last June -- Audi will only build 10 test models. Instead, Audi board member and newly appointed technical-development honcho Wolfgang Dürheimer is shifting Audi’s research to more practical plug-in hybrids, citing the high price tag of the supercar and range anxiety. The R8 e-tron has a 49-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery that returns about 134 miles on single charge.
But at least one Audi e-model will still get some street time in the U.S. this year.
Audi plans to produce plug-in hybrid versions of the A1, A3, A4, A6 and Q7 models whose batteries can be charged via a household outlet, which the automaker hopes will alleviate range anxiety. Audi is testing the A3 e-tron, a plug-in hybrid variant of the A3 hatchback, in designated U.S. cities as part of an 18-month trial.
As we reported earlier, Audi also plans to replace its legendary quattro all-wheel-drive system system with e-Quattro, which uses batteries and an electric motor to power the rear axle and a gas engine to power the front axle, requiring no driveshaft or central differential to split the torque. While this could improve fuel efficiency, the cost and complexity of batteries could be a concern.
However, don’t write Audi out of the e-race just yet. The automaker completed a three-year collaborative research project with Bosch and a consortium of German universities to develop a variable voltage system for greater efficiency. While the project’s F12 concept car used a production R8 shell, it was never completed.
While Audi has made lots of empty promises, perhaps the F12 research will find its way into the R8 e-trons still locked in the lab -- or better yet, one of the other Audi e-tron models.
[Sources: Motor Trend, Wired]
#2
10-26-2012, 02:13 PM
i see real demand in electric cars still, especially those that have extended range generators or hybrid modes. if i had a commute, i would get a volt. they are around $26k used.
reality is that cars needs to be more efficient. 30+ mpg needs to reality for gas powered car.
reality is that cars needs to be more efficient. 30+ mpg needs to reality for gas powered car.
#3
10-26-2012, 03:29 PM
i see real demand in electric cars still, especially those that have extended range generators or hybrid modes. if i had a commute, i would get a volt. they are around $26k used.
reality is that cars needs to be more efficient. 30+ mpg needs to reality for gas powered car.
reality is that cars needs to be more efficient. 30+ mpg needs to reality for gas powered car.
#6
10-26-2012, 07:32 PM
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