Photo: Automedia
What do you do after you’ve created the fastest production electric vehicle ever to go around the Nurburgring? You sell it to people at a huge price of course.
That was the original plan, to put the Audi R8 e-tron into limited production in early 2013. But after the record 8:09 lap this summer, we never heard about build numbers, a pice or availability.
That’s because the project has been put on hold, as Audi’s new R&D chief Wolfgang Durheimer de-prioritized the R8 EV. It’s possible that the idea might be scrapped altogether due to the cost of the batteries in the car, according to Car and Driver.
Battery costs are one thing, but we have a sneaking suspition it’s because of the competition. 8 minutes and 9 seconds around the Nurburgring might sound fast but is slower than an aging BMW M3 or the Ferrari supercar from three generation ago, the 360.
In addition, earlier this month Mercedes unveiled the SLS AMG E-CELL, which instead of having less power than the regular SLS has a lot more, being the most powerful AMG ever made in fact. By comparison the R8 e-tron is made to look a bit slow.
That’s because the project has been put on hold, as Audi’s new R&D chief Wolfgang Durheimer de-prioritized the R8 EV. It’s possible that the idea might be scrapped altogether due to the cost of the batteries in the car, according to Car and Driver.
Battery costs are one thing, but we have a sneaking suspition it’s because of the competition. 8 minutes and 9 seconds around the Nurburgring might sound fast but is slower than an aging BMW M3 or the Ferrari supercar from three generation ago, the 360.
In addition, earlier this month Mercedes unveiled the SLS AMG E-CELL, which instead of having less power than the regular SLS has a lot more, being the most powerful AMG ever made in fact. By comparison the R8 e-tron is made to look a bit slow.
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