2012 Audi e-tron Concept
The 2012 Audi e-tron will be the first electric car from the German automaker. The e-tron Concept is shown here.

Consumer Guide’s Impressions of the 2012 Audi e-tron

Look out, world. Audi plans to sell an electric sports car that looks--and goes--like its V10 R8. The e-tron won’t be cheap, but it will be super high-tech, super green, and super rare.

What We Know About the 2012 Audi e-tron

With global warming from CO2 and other greenhouse gases still a hot topic (sorry), emissions-free electric vehicles (EVs) are again all the rage after fading from the scene a century ago. They certainly grabbed the spotlight at the September 2009 Frankfurt IAA (International Auto Show), where each of Germany’s “premium three” unveiled “voltswagon“ concepts in greener-than-thou PR blitzes. BMW presented its wild-looking Vision ED, actually a plug-in diesel/electric hybrid. Mercedes-Benz announced a battery-powered version of its new SLS AMG “gullwing” super coupe for launch in 2013, but showed no actual car, just a video of the planned drive system.

Click here to read our review of the 2010 Audi R8.
That left Audi to arguably upstage both rivals, first by showing its own sports-car concept, called e-tron, then following up several days later by saying the electric two-seater (or something much like it) would be on sale within three years. That announcement was reported by Automotive News and attributed to Audi of America President Johan de Nysschen. “I expect we will see running examples in the next 24 months,” de Nysschen told the trade journal in early October. AN took that to mean a showroom debut by fall of 2012, at least for Europe. That could apply to the U.S. too, though a 2013-model rollout seems more probable here.

Still, Audi hasn’t shown all its cards yet. Though the e-tron looks unusually complete for an auto-show special, it might not materialize exactly as shown. And Audi could surprise us yet again with an entirely different showroom EV--a sporty hatchback for example. Moreover, any such project could be delayed or even derailed by unforeseen interim developments--like another banking crisis, as some economists are worrying about. For now, though, we’ll accept Audi’s implied intentions and assume the production e-tron will be close to the show car (if maybe bearing a different name).

Though it looks much like the company’s mid-engine R8 sports car, the 2012 Audi e-tron concept is somewhat smaller, being a little shorter and wider than a Porsche Boxster. It is built like the R8s, however, with a skeletal aluminum space frame clad in carbon-fiber-reinforced body panels. (It also has the same axle widths.) Thomas Krautner, head of Audi’s concept and prototype development team, told Autocar magazine that the “reason [e-tron] is slightly shorter [than R8] is because the [smaller] electric powertrain allowed us to adapt the packaging.” Krautner also told the British weekly that the concept was begun only in early 2009 following cancellation of a planned limited-edition V12-diesel R8.

Assuming the production model retains the concept’s basic dimensions and engineering, the 2012 Audi e-tron will furnish all-wheel drive via four electric motors, one for each wheel. The motors mount in pairs on the front axle and ahead of the rear axle, each with its own gearbox. The motors individually produce 78 horsepower and a whopping 830 pound-feet of torque for a total of 313 horsepower and a mind-boggling 3,319 pound-feet--yes, three-thousand three-hundred nineteen pound-feet of pavement-peeling torque. A central electronic control unit distributes power to each wheel as needed for best traction (also known as “torque vectoring”) and can selectively vary the power delivered to optimize handling. The ECU also integrates antilock brakes and an antiskid system with traction control.

Like the concept, the production 2012 Audi e-tron should be juiced by a specially designed battery pack with advanced lithium-ion (Li-ion) cells that is situated just behind the cockpit, where an R8, Boxster, and other “midships” sports cars have an engine. Because EVs operate most efficiently within a fairly narrow temperature range, there’s a liquid-cooling system for the batteries and radiators for each pair of motors. The e-tron also employs a heat pump--a claimed first for an automobile--to conserve or scavenge driveline heat as needed. This also replaces conventional heating and air conditioning hardware for the cockpit climate-control system. According to an Audi press release, the concept’s battery pack can store up to 53 kilowatt/hours of electricity, but is limited to 42.4 kw/h to prolong service life.

The charging system of the 2012 Audi e-tron should be a non-metallic induction type like that of some electric toothbrushes--and the celebrated 1990s General Motors EV1. The plug lives beneath a flip-up panel beneath a narrow rear “window.” A wave-like applique of bright-metal “blades” bulges at the top of the window to form an air scoop for cooling the batteries and the rear-drive motors. Audi quotes a recharging time of six to eight hours for a depleted battery pack on 230-volt household service, a more reasonable two-and-a-half hours from a 400-volt main. The company also says it’s working on a wireless recharging system, but is giving no details at the moment. Like many other EVs and gas/electric hybrid vehicles, the e-tron includes a regenerative-braking feature that uses the electric motors to recharge the batteries when coasting and decelerating.

Weight is the enemy of performance and fuel economy in conventional cars, and it’s just as villainous to driving range in battery-powered vehicles. That’s why the 2012 Audi e-tron employs the costly aluminum-space frame construction as well as lightweight suspension components and weight-saving carbon-ceramic disc brakes. Those brakes are unusual in comprising a single fixed-caliper unit for the front axle and a pair of floating-caliper discs at the rear. Actuation is “by-wire” electronic, not mechanical. Suspension is fairly conventional by comparison, with coil springs, front double wishbones, and “trapezoidal” rear multilink geometry. So, too, the rack-and-pinion steering with modern energy-saving electrohydraulic assist. The concept rolls on multi-blade 19-inch wheels, styled like the above-mentioned "rear-window" treatment, wearing low-resistance 235/35 tires fore and 295/30s aft. We’d guess these sizes will transfer to the production model.

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