Audi reinvents R8
Supercar to embrace EV power
Audi has unveiled its new PB18 E-tron concept at the 2018 Pebble Beach Concours d’elegance. The car previews a potential electric successor to the R8.
As well as providing a foretaste of Audi’s “highperformance supercar of tomorrow”, the 764bhp concept also hints at plans by the German car maker to adopt the latest in lightweight, solid-state battery technology. With a body constructed of aluminium, carbonfibre and plastic composite, the new four-wheel-drive Audi is said to weigh less than 1550kg.
The PB18 E-tron draws on the styling lineage first established on the 2017 Audi Aicon concept, albeit with a more dramatic cab-forward silhouette. An extended cockpit incorporates tapered rear side windows and a large back window that hint at the look of a modern-day shooting brake.
Key design elements include a heavily structured front end with a hexagon-shaped grille and large air ducts as well as thin ‘laser’ headlights and a prominent splitter. The rear is dominated by an adjustable spoiler, full-width light band and a high-mounted diffuser that can be adjusted to increase downforce.
Developed under the working title Level Zero, the PB18 E-tron eschews Audi’s autonomous driving functions for a more purist approach, placing the driver in the thick of the action.
Fully electronic controls have allowed Audi to provide its latest concept with an intriguing variable cockpit design, allowing the driver’s seat and dashboard to be positioned in one of two ways: either to the left of the interior or in the centre, providing space for a passenger. The idea is inspired by Audi’s Le-manswinning R18 LMP1 racing car.
The 4530mm-long concept is lower, wider and longer than today’s R8 and it has a 470-litre boot.
The PB18 E-tron is powered by three electric motors — one within the front axle delivering 201bhp and two sited within the rear axle with 234bhp each.
The combined system output is 671bhp, but a boost function allows up 764bhp for brief periods, giving the car 509bhp per tonne. Torque peaks at 612lb ft. A 0-62mph time of “scarcely more than two seconds” is claimed and it’s said to top 186mph.
With 800V compatibility, the PB18 E-tron’s battery can be fully recharged in 15 minutes, Audi claims. Alternatively, it can be charged wirelessly. Drawing a link to motorsport, the concept uses suspension inspired by Audi’s LMP1 racer, with independent transverse control arms, a pushrod system up front and a pullrod set-up at the rear — each with variable magnetic ride dampers.