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Audi R8 E-Tron. 5 minutes on electric chair
What is an entertaining ecology from Audi? Silhouette of a spectacular supercar, acceleration up to hundreds faster than five seconds and the complete absence of exhaust gases. And this is not fiction. Electricians already caused, they will come from day to day Test pilot
Mikhail Medvedev, 34 years old, car journalist, driving experience 14 years old, personal car - Mazda3
You are next! The finger of the two-meter versilist does not hesitate to me, and I immediately understood arguing and all the more resist you useless. Someone cuddlingly patted me on the shoulder, they say, launch, boyfriend. Nothing remains. Collecting the remnants of decisiveness, I took a step forward. Huge, in three human growth, the door gulco flashed behind my back, and a chill ran on his back.
I stand in an empty hangar with metal walls. From somewhere on top of the room, dissipated light is selected. There is no soul around. Suddenly, somewhere appears energetic and smiling a smiling German. Please sit down! I do not argue. With difficulty I'm squeezed into the chair, the stranger puts the lock of the binding belts not to move. And here, to my hearing, the sinister characteristic not that buzz, not the electric current sucks. For a moment, I feel that I am not in the cabin of the car, but will fade to the back of the electric chair, and the German smile continuing to the place, checking the electrodes, has already grabbed the transformer handle ...
But away bad thoughts. Casting struting behind the wheel, I have the power coming on the accelerator pedal, and the electric Audi R8 E-Tron breaks off from the decisiveness of the racing trolleybus. I am ahead of it was preparing for this meeting and therefore knew well that a unique car accelerates to hundreds in 4.8 seconds. But even these are very, it is necessary to say that the numbers, as well as the sports attitudes of the cockpit, cannot be compared with the amazing and unusual silence, accompanying the acceleration pushing in the chair. There is no juicy roar of the multi-cylinder motor, there is no class and a ferocious roar of the exhaust system, instead of them to ear, only a uniform transformer power of the electrical power plant is coming. The most terrible suicide nightmare on an electric chair, waiting for a meeting with the creator, in the treatment of Audi turned into an aggregate for mass ejection of adrenaline and ... Repeated for all Greenpeace apologists.
Even recently it seemed that Europe lost the ecological war to the Japanese. While Toyota and Honda in vain represented new and new hybrid technologies to the public, brands from the old woman of Europe behaved too indifferent. Yes, let's say BMW at one time very actively invested in the development of hydrogen cars, but then the program was put on the program. In turn, Mercedes-Benz as if for a tick developed an option with a simplified hybrid power plant with a simplified hybrid power plant, even prius, which is more technologically added to this craft. At the same time, Volkswagen and Audi were limited only by green concept-karas. From the side it seemed that the Germans simply do not interest this hybrid from. But everything turned out to be completely different.
We are convinced that companies that will not pay decent attention to the development of cars operating on alternative energy sources, in the near future will lose their position in the market, and in the future risk and disappear, to admit the words of the Audi chapter on the development of the electric vehicle strategy by Francis Wang Menel Surprised me to the depths of the soul. Actually, in Ingolstadt, I was just in order to get acquainted with the latest developments of the German company in the field of electric vehicles. But the fact that I was drawn as a visit to politeness, as an attempt to convince journalists and the public is that Audi, de, does not want to lag behind the leaders in the ecological sphere, in fact turned out to be revealed. It turns out that four rings to 2020 intend to become the most ecological brand among premium brands! In fact, green divids in Ingolstadt turn no longer than a dozen years. Back in 1989, the Audi presented in Europe the first hybrid car, which could be bought in the usual show room. And let Duo came out slightly coma, lower his hands after the world's first sweeping and did not think. This is evidenced by at least 125 million euros, invested in the development of electric vehicles since 2005.
And just now we begin to see the first results of the Long-Term Environmental Strategy of Audi. In the spring of 2011, the Audi Q5 Hybrid Quattro crossover will appear on sale the most sporty and dynamic in its class. But these are only flowers. A real surprise of fans of the brand is waiting in 2012 then sales of the R8 E-Tron serial super electrocharger start.
In fact, it is good to us a familiar R8 chassis with a power unit from the Audi E-Tron concept, which suggests four electric motors with a total capacity of 313 liters. with. And a completely fantastic attitude of 4500 nm, available from the first touch to the accelerator pedal!
Even a short trip on this machine is able to shake the faith of the most convinced and solid enemy of electrocars. In fact, because the R8 E-Tron gives a completely new level of minigration. It's one thing when you are going on a hybrid hatchback, justifying his dubious appearance, sad dynamics and a high price of a slightly reduced level of carbon dioxide in the exhaust. And a completely different knee, when you rush for 200 km / h by car, which has an exhaust pipe as a class! Unreal!
It is even more difficult to believe that the R8 E-TRON machine is also quite practical. Thanks to a whole arsenal of lithium-ion batteries weighing 550 kg and a total capacity of 53 kWh, the distance of the stroke is quite reasonable 220-250 km. In this case, you can refuel the machine from the usual 220-230-volt socket, the charge time will be 6-8 hours or from the source of an increased current that cuts the refueling to the full tank by 2-3 times. Given that the average car, according to research, is located without moving 20 hours over every day, the problem of discharged batteries does not seem inevitable.
Moreover, R8 E-TRON is only the first step along the road of electrification, which in the future will affect all models of four rings. The Germans themselves call the development concept of an AUDI descending electric vehicles: first, new and notable technologies are running on expensive machines and then they become available for models from a more democratic price segment. So, already in 2014, the market of Audi A1 E-Tron with an electric motor and the so-called Range extender with a rotary motor, which constantly recharges the batteries and thus increases the stroke reserve with minimal fuel consumption. Further prospects are truly limitless. In Audi, it is not taken to say that electric cars that have become a priority direction for the company, as a result, will be the winners of the ecological arms race. Now in the car building there is a peculiar war of formats, which it was recently observed in the media market. For the role of the most important environmental development, in addition to electricians, clean diesel technologies, and hybrids, and fuel cell machines are fought. Who will win last time. In Ingolstadt, will be prepared for any development of the situation. After all, Volkswagen is engaged in the development of machines on the fuel cells, so that in the case of which the winning format (read the power unit) can be installed on any concern machines.
Record of red devil
The speed and electric vehicles became friends in the 19th century. The very first official registered speed record is attributed to the French Count Gaston de Sassele-Loba, which on December 18, 1898 on the electric car JeantAud developed the speed of 63.15 km / h. The machine with an electric motor belongs to another significant achievement: Camille, the first in history exceeded the barrier 100 km / h. Nicknamed Red Devil for the characteristic color of the beard, Belgian spoke on an electric car always dissatisfied with an unusual cigar-like body and two electric motors with a total capacity of 68 liters. with. Camille installed his third and last record on April 29, 1899, reaching a speed of 105.9 km / h.
Specifications Audi R8 E-Tron
Dimensions - 4430x1905x1250 mm, base 2650 mm
Engine - electric, 313 hp, 600 nm.
Dynamics - Max 200 *, 0100 km / h in 4.8
Competitors - Tesla Roadster, Jaguar XK
Author: Mikhail Medvedev
Source: Magazine 5 Wheel [February 2011]
