Audi puts R8 e-tron electric supercar on hold

Audi has halted work on this electric version of its R8 supercar, and may cancel the project altogether.

Audi has stopped development work on the R8 e-tron, an electric version of its R8 supercar. after more than three years of gestation, the all-electric Audi might never see the light of day.

Audi told Car and Driver that all work on the R8 e-tron has been stopped, and that the whole project is under review. The halt was ordered by Wolfgang Dürheimer, Audi’s new chief of research and development. Dürheimer came to Audi after occupying the CEO’s office at Bentley and Porsche.

Dürheimer’s concerns should sound familiar to any EV enthusiasts. It’s all about the batteries, which are still too expensive and too heavy to justify their relative inability to store electrons.

A normal R8 with a 4.2-liter gasoline V8 weighs 3,605 pounds, while the e-tron weighs 3,924. That added weight is not cancelled out by extra power, either: the V8 generates 430 horsepower, but the e-tron’s two electric motors can only muster 376 hp. Granted, the e-tron does produce 605 pound-feet of torque, compared to the 4.2’s 317 lb-ft.

The e-tron can accelerate from zero to 62 mph (0-100 kph) in 4.6 seconds, and has a 124 mph top speed. The regular R8 matches that time, but will keep accelerating until it reaches 187 mph.

Audi says the e-tron’s 49-kWh battery pack provides a range of 134 miles, but in 2010, a prototype e-tron could barely do three laps of the Le Mans circuit. With the market for supercars already limited, Audi may have realized that the market for a supercar that takes hours to refuel would probably be miniscule.

Range aside, the e-tron does hold the Nürburgring lap record for production-ready electric cars. While the Toyota P002 lapped the ‘Ring in 7:22, much faster than the e-tron’s 8:09, it was not designed to be mass produced. Now that the e-tron is on the chopping block, that distinction may not matter.

Audi has not given up on electric cars, though. The company still plans to lease small batches of electric test vehicles to customers in the United States and Europe to acquire real-world usage data. The non-super e-trons will be based on the A3 (U.S.) and A1 (Europe).

Audi’s crisis of faith echoes that of another major car company: Toyota. The Japanese giant pulled the plug (no pun intended) on an electric version of the Scion iQ, deciding to limit U.S. production to 90 examples for fleet buyers instead.

On the other hand, one of Audi’s biggest rivals, Mercedes-Benz, is betting on a battery-powered future. Mercedes is preparing an electric version of its B-Class compact hatchback and, at the complete opposite end of the spectrum, an electric sports car. The R8 e-tron would have been the perfect rival for Mercedes’ SLS AMG Electric Drive, which boasts 740 hp and a $536,000 price tag.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Peugeot Onyx Megatrike and Onyx Concept bicycle: A trike and a bike inspired by a supercar

Peugeot took design elements from its Onyx hybrid supercar concept and applied them to these two- and three-wheeled creations.

As concept cars go, the Peugeot Onyx is especially good at getting attention. Its carbon fiber and copper body, draped over a racecar’s diesel hybrid powertrain, is hard to top. Peugeot has no plans to put the Onyx into production, but it felt the design worked so well that it decided to build an Onyx-inspired scooter and bicycle.

The scooter, called the Onyx Megatrike, looks like it came from the future. It has the same angular lines and copper panels as the Onyx supercar, as well as miniature versions of the car’s headlights and grille.

The Megatrike may sound like the prized possession of a post-apocalyptic warlord, but, like the Onyx supercar, it’s a fuel-efficient hybrid. The powertrain consists of a 400-cc gasoline engine and an electric motor. The Megatrike can travel 18 miles at 30 mph on electric power only.

The Megatrike might actually be more practical than the car it emulates. Supercars are notorious for having small trunks, but the Megatrike has a storage compartment in front of the rider, where a motorcycle’s gas tank would be. A rider can remove it to sit forward like on a conventional scooter, or straddle it like on a motorcycle.

If designing a scooter to complement a supercar seems like a difficult task, then designing a bicycle for the same purpose seems nearly impossible. Nonetheless, Peugeot tried to make the connection between these two disparate modes of transportation with a smattering of tech.

Like the four-wheeled Onyx, the Onyx Concept bike is made of carbon fiber. Peugeot already makes a racing bike with a carbon fiber frame, so that wasn’t much of a stretch. The Onyx Concept also has carbon fiber forks, wheels, and handlebars.

Peugeot’s designer’s also focused on aerodynamics. The handlebars were flattened to reduce frontal area, and the wheels were covered with fairings. The Onyx Concept bike also has an electronic shifter; exposed shift cables would have created too much drag.

Peugeot isn’t putting the Onyx supercar into production, so don’t expect either of these equally outrageous concepts to be in showrooms anytime soon. Instead, they’ll fulfill the same purpose as the Onyx at the Paris Motor Show: attract visitors to Peugeot’s stand and create interest in its products, whether they have two, three, or four wheels.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Hennessey turns a Cadillac CTS-V Coupe into a 1,200 hp monster

With more power than a Veyron and a claimed 242 mph top speed, the VR1200 Twin Turbo Coupe from Hennessey Performance is a supercar in a Cadillac's body.

Most Cadillacs are designed to woo potential buyers away from their BMWs with luxury and sophistication, but the Hennessey VR1200 Twin Turbo Coupe will frighten the competition into submission. Texas tuning legend John Hennessey gave this Caddy 1,200 horsepower.

The VR1200 Twin Turbo Coupe starts out as an already-impressive CTS-V, with a 556 hp, 6.2-liter V8. Hennessey increased displacement to 7.0 liters and, per the car’s name, added a pair of turbochargers.

To keep the engine from destroying itself, The VR1200 sports an air-to-water intercooler, heavy-duty fuel injectors, and reinforced engine internals. Forged aluminum pistons, forged steel connecting rods, and a complete balancing and blueprinting should cause gearheads to salivate.

The result is 1,226 hp and 1,109 lb-ft of torque. That means this Cadillac makes more power than any production car; the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport only makes 1,200 hp.

Putting all that power to the ground is a six-speed manual transmission. Mercedes-Benz AMG likes to say that its cars have too much torque for a clutch, but Hennessey seems to have found one (perhaps it’s made of Unobtanium) that can handle over 1,000 lb-ft. A specially built automatic is optional.

All that power means the VR1200 will probably have traction issues, so Hennessey fitted it with 20×13-inch rear wheels and 345/30-20 rear tires that could have been taken off Batman’s Tumbler.

With its bulging hood and hunkered-down stance (the car is lowered one inch), the VR1200 looks like a Batmobile, especially in black.

Hennessey Performance’s motto is simply “Making Fast Cars Since 1991,” and this Cadillac doesn’t let the side down. After all, with over 1,000 hp, one would expect a car to be fast. Hennessey says the VR1200 will do 0 to 60 mph in 2.9 seconds, within spitting distance of a Lamborghini Aventador. It will also cover the quarter mile in the coveted 10 second range; 10.2 seconds at 141 mph, to be exact.

However, Hennessey’s biggest claim involves the VR1200’s top speed. The company says their crazy Caddy will hit 242 mph, making it faster than the McLaren F1 and nearly every other supercar.

In fact, there are only three production cars that can beat 242 mph: the Bugatti Veyron 16.4, SSC Ultimate Aero, and the aforementioned Veyron Super Sport. Being a modified CTS-V, the VR1200 isn’t really a production car, but if it really can hang with these machines, it would be the king of modified cars.

How much will the king of modified cars cost? With all the bells, whistles, and turbochargers, the VR1200 will cost roughly $295,000. That may seem like a lot for a Cadillac CTS, but if Hennessey’s performance claims are true, it will be a relative bargain compared to supercars like the Aventador, which starts at $406,000, and the $1,000,000 Veyron.

Those who want to taste the insanity of 1,200 hp should hurry: Hennessey is only making 12 VR1200 Twin Turbo Coupes.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com