The Audi E-Tron test drive by the Los Angeles Times is seen in this video, although it’s unlikely to tell you anything you didn’t already know. We don’t get an idea of what it feels like to actually drive the E-Tron, and the torque figures quoted are likely to be those of the wheels, and not the output shaft, which has created some controversy.
The driver of this test, Dan Neil, gives us some insight into what kind of car the E-Tron is like in his written article. He says:
Like all electric cars, the batteries are the biggest concern. The e-tron uses a lithium-ion pack sourced from Sanyo with a total capacity of 53 kWh, but only about 43 kWh is usable storage. Max discharge is a healthy 230 amps. According to Krauter, the car will have two settings for regenerative braking, one normal and one sporty — which is to say, you lift off the gas and the aggressive regen will instantly slow the car down as if it had piled into a load of sand. No coasting.
For enthusiast drivers, all this is catnip. Torque-vectoring all-wheel drive with big regenerative braking going into corners? That means less weight transfer, better overall balance, less brake wear, quicker time back to the throttle. The production version of this car is going to be stupid fast. I predict we are looking at the future production-car record holder at the Nurburgring.
The suggestion is that Fisker and Tesla look over their shoulders, as Audi is going to take over on electric sports car production. Only just before the electric SLS AMG turns up, that is.
