Audi R18 e-Tron – Automobiles Review

Audi R8 Family Gets Updated with Innovative Technologies

Audi is famous for is many supercars, but one thing that makes the company truly stand out is that the race cars and production cars have a lot in common. At least in many technical areas, like their controls and displays for instance. The best example however is the similarity between the Audi R18 e-tron quattro race car prototype and the Audi R8 sports car. The first one has actually competed at the 24 hours of Le Mans this weekend, performing great and achieving third place.

Going on sale this summer, the high-performance sports car, is part of a sporty family comprising of the GT race car, the Audi R8 LMS, and the battery-electric powered Audi R8 e-tron. Now, the vehicle is in its latest evolutionary form and this means it can offer even more power, speed and endurance.

As you can see from the picture below, the designs of the steering wheels of both cars as well as their digital displays show significant similarities. It is obvious that the high-performance Audi R8 is extremely close to that of a race car and its controls and displays are showing this, too.

Similarities: Steering wheels & Displays

Audi R8 and Audi R8 LMS

Audi R8 V10 plus is now getting a steering wheel which comprises of 20 controls. Among them there are four new satellite buttons. On the other hand, the LMP1 race car and the Audi R18 e-tron Quattro have 33 buttons on their wheels. In addition, in both cars, the driver shifts gears from the steering wheel.

There are also color indicators, again similar in both, which notify the driver when the engine is nearing its rpm limit. What is more, key driving dynamic parameters can adjusted or set via new control buttons on the steering wheel in both cars. There is also information for the tire pressure and lap times, which appears on a digital display, both in the R8 LMS and R8.

Audi R8 e-tron with 462 HP

Audi R8 e-tron is famous for being the first all-electric car produced by the company. It will produce 462 hp (340 kW) of power, which will enable it to sprint from 0 to 100 km/h (62.1 mph) in 3.9 seconds. In addition, it will be able of covering a maximum driving range of 450 kilometers (279.6 mi). The e-tron is actually a mobile laboratory for Audi and its aims of developing new electrical concepts and components.

Source: Audi

June 15, 2015

Audi R18 e-Tron Quattro

Audi Sport has developed a fundamentally new Le Mans prototype that corresponds to the Technical Regulations for 2014 and is designed for maximum efficiency. The new Audi R18 e-Tron Quattro is being tested on the race track where all new Le Mans prototypes of the manufacturer have had to prove their worth – at Sebring racetrack.

“We’ve reached a crucial stage in this project,” commented Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich.

“After building the first prototype, testing on various race tracks is now taking center-stage. The tests are mainly focused on achieving high mileage, coordinating the highly complex hybrid drive systems and working out an efficiencyoptimized total package that has never before been as complex as this one.”, he added.

Audi has won the manufacturers’ and drivers’ classifications in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) for the second time in succession and the Le Mans 24 Hours for the twelfth time this year. Until the end of this year, the manufacturer will introduce the next generation of its hybrid sports car.

Stay tuned!

Source: Audi

December 9, 2013

Audi R18 e-tron quattro Focuses On Safety At Le Mans

This year Le Mans 24 Hours celebrates its 90th anniversary. In it will see many exclusive models competing and among them is the 2013 Audi R18 e-tron quattro. The main focus in this racing car is the active safety systems which defuse dangerous situations in the preliminary stages.

Some of the already available assistance systems in standard Audi models are for instance the ‘Audi side assist’ which facilitates lane changes; the ‘Audi pre sense’ that helps avoid accidents; the night vision assistant which helps the driver in seeing pedestrians.

However, not all of the technologies that are being offered are suitable for racing. Race drivers are expected to demonstrate their skills on the wheel instead of having their most challenging tasks performed by electronic assistants. However, Audi still managed to equip the new 2013 Audi R18 e-tron Quattro with assistance systems which are going to help in the competition.

The first example is that the lighting technology has been improved by extending the headlight sight distance by 85 percent. The drivers will benefit from a light beam that is more than 800 meters long.

In addition, the every headlight comprises of eight LED units and even more, the engineers have used matrix-beam principle which now can divide the light into individual segments. Next, Audi also utilized the technology known as cornering light. The LEDs on the outside of the corner are dimmed and the ones on the inside of the corner emit a brighter light.

Another interesting technology featured here is the digital rear-view mirror, which is mounted on the roof above the driver. On it the driver can see the traffic behind the car with a field angle of 60 degrees. The electric signal is transmitted to a display in the cockpit, featuring innovative AMOLED technology.

This acronym stands for Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode or to say it even simpler – an organic light emitting diode with active matrix technology. The screen has a diagonal of 6.8 inches and the display has a resolution of 600,000 pixels.

This new system has several advantages over the standard mirrors. First of all it remains free from vibrations. Secondly, the blind spot behind the car has been eliminated. Next, when lapping other cars, it is easier for the drivers to judge when they can change lines.

One of the major changes featured in this car is in the steering wheel, which now includes 13 buttons that are located on the front. They can be utilized to control functions such as brake force distribution, traction control, the radio, drink supply, the starter and electronic functions. What is more, there are also rotary controls that help influence the engine and traction control system maps.

Furthermore, a digital display shows the information about the absolute lap times, times in track sectors, the difference to previously clocked lap times or tyre inflation pressure. It is located in the centre of the driver’s field of vision and is accompanied by alarm functions.

The two-way radio communications on the other hand make fast exchanges of important information, in order to help the driver respond quickly and influence the car’s handling by using the steering wheel functions.

Source: Audi

June 7, 2013

2013 Audi R18 e-tron quattro To Compete At Le Mans 24 Hours

Le Mans 24 Hours will celebrate this year its 90th anniversary. In it the race, Audi has achieved eleven victories in 14 events. Now, the brand introduces its new model for Le Mans – namely, the 2013 Audi R18 e-tron quattro.

It will include some important enhancements in terms of efficiency and innovative technologies. The TFSI gasoline direct injection and the TDI engine, for instance, feature VTG (Variable Turbine Geometry) turbocharger. Other highlights are quattro four-wheel drive, e-tron hybrid technology, ultra-lightweight design, and LED lighting technology.

On 22d and 23d of June, on its 15th run at Le Mans, with three Audi R18 e-tron quattro cars, the brand will be competing with the goal to make another victory run. The focus on the new e-tron quarto is placed on its ultra-lightweight design, optimized aerodynamics, driver assistance systems, the matrix-beam headlight system and reliability as well as efficiency.

Source: Audi

May 10, 2013

Audi R18 e-Tron Hybrid Quattro

Audi R18 e-Tron Quattro is the world’s first LMP1 car to combine a highly-efficient TDI with a hybrid system. The race car will make its official debut on May 5 in the six-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium and will compete for overall victory at the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans in France on June 16/17.

“Audi has always consciously selected championships and categories in racing that have a close relationship to production and therefore have technical relevance for the Audi customers,” said Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich, who personally drove the new Audi R18 e-tron quattro onto the stage on Wednesday evening during its world premiere in the Audi Training Center at Munich airport – electrically and almost silent.

“Quattro, TFSI and TDI are three excellent examples of how motorsport has stimulated production development. A similar tendency is apparent with the e-tron quattro: we test a completely new technology on the race track before it’s introduced to the Audi production line.”, he added.

The R18 e-tron quattro uses recovered kinetic energy, which is fed as electric into a flywheel accumulator before being retrieved under acceleration again above a speed of 120 km/h. The extremely efficient V6 TDI diesel produces 510PS (375 kW) powering the rear wheels. Both systems complement each other to create the new drive principle e-tron quattro.

“The TDI engine invented by Audi is still the most efficient drive in the world,” said Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich.

“We are convinced that the TDI has even more potential. This is why Audi not only supports the hybrid in motorsport as it does in production, but in parallel also the further development of the conventional drive.”, he added.

Audi Sport Team Joest will field two R18 e-tron quattro and two R18 ultra prototypes in the Le Mans 24 Hours on June 16/17. The two hybrid cars are driven by last year’s winning trio Marcel Fässler (CH), André Lotterer (D) and Benoît Tréluyer (F) as well as Dindo Capello (I), Tom Kristensen (DK) and Allan McNish (GB) who boast a total of 13 Le Mans wins between them. New signing