Audi e-tron Concept
Though the Audi E-Tron idea has the appearance of a mid-engine supercar, it does not pack an engine behind its two-seat cockpit anywhere, in fact. Instead, there is a lithium-ion battery back there which feeds 4 separate electrical motors; each powers a different wheel. And while the car's looks actually have an especially R8 vibe, the automobile is its own entity, with dimensions barely shy of the R8's in all directions, and an overall weight that is slightly under that of the production V-8 model. The tenet makes its debut at the 2009 Frankfurt automobile show.
While the electrical powertrain is of great signification to this idea (we will get to that in a minute), it is Audi's light-weight philosophy that makes this e-supercar possible in principle. A subject Audi debated in great detail at a tech dayand about which we'll have more for you sooner moving weight from automobile structures and components is critical after you start to consider adding a heavy electrical drivetrain. Audi explains it will balance the weight gain brought on by adding batteries and electronics with the larger use of aluminium, magnesium, and carbon fiber in addition to new fastening systems that let a mix of all those components and standard steel. For the E-Tron, aluminium and carbon fiber have been mixed to make a space frame, while the body panels are all made of carbon fiber.
Fancy Features From the Future:
The E-Tron uses a heat pump to heat the cabin, which Audi claims is the 1st use of its kind in an auto. There's also a fresh cooling and heating system that maintains comfort for the electronics, and which can on occasion be called on to provide further climate control for the cabin. Another future-y technology is, what Audi calls, car-to-x communication. It permits automobiles to chat among themselves pertaining to stuff like accidents and traffic backups and then present the data to the driver through the navigation system to help in the reduction of drive time and power usage. It can even be used to call ahead and find or reserve a parking space.
The looks are less significant and offer less of a glance at Audi's future than do the electronics, although there are a few novel functional elements. Less air intakes and extractors grace the swish bodyat first look, at least. Where the R8 has air-gulping side blades, the E-Tron employs deployable flaps that may open and shut according to cooling wishes keeping the lines neat both aesthetically and aerodynamically when closed. Similar flaps are worker behind the single-frame grille up front. Flanking the front air aperture are full-LED headlight units that instantly adjust themselves based mostly on data from an onboard camera and GPS coordinates.
They twist when the road does and acclimatize to background conditions as well as car speed. The lights also accomplish the job of separate mist lamps by varying the pattern they cast when suitable. Classic Audi cleanness in the inside is intensified by a two-tone leather treatment, with a dash that curves and sweeps from one door to the other. The stern cabin is driver-focused, featuring a mix of analogue gauges with a massive digital display. The E-Tron's MMI system is controlled through iPod-like touch-sensitive buttons on the steering wheel.
A few buttons also reside on the narrow center console and as does the gear selector, which rises from a flush position once the automobile is started. The E-Tron is Audi's way of exclaiming it is going to be competitive in the electric-car arena, but that it'll do things its own way. With a bit of help from the German presidency, Audi is partnering with analysts from providers and varsities to launch a new project, called e-performance. The group will target the critical battery technology as well as how electrical propulsion is affecting and can improve climate control, automobile acoustics, and frame dynamics. The three-year project will commence on Oct first. With any good fortune, the end result of the study will be a green light for a production auto very like the E-Tron.
