There are some new electric cars coming out that are showing different takes on electric. There’s a remake of the classic Jaguar E-Type. The forthcoming news of the the Audi E-tron SUV and a concept Audi with no self-driving at all.
Jaguar E-Type Zero Emmissions
The Jaguar E-Type Zero classic XKEs and turns them into electric vehicles with a 170mi range. There will be a limited run.Combining its restoration expertise with cutting-edge technology from the Jaguar I-PACE, the award-winning zero-emissions performance SUV, Jaguar Classic will offer tailor-made E-types restored and converted to electric power at the same Classic Works facility as its outstanding E-type Reborn restorations in Coventry, UK. An EV conversion service for existing E-type owners will also be offered. To preserve the authenticity of the base vehicle, the EV conversion will be fully reversible.
Audi e-tron Coming Soon
U.S. customers will be able to configure and reserve their 2019 Audi e-tron, the first all-electric vehicle from Audi, on Sept. 17. The e-tron will make its global debut on the same day at an event in San Francisco.
On Sept. 17, full e-tron specifications, including pricing, will be available at www.audiusa.com, giving customers the details needed to configure their e-tron and reserve their vehicle with a refundable $1,000 reservation fee.
The fully electric e-tron is a five-passenger SUV aimed at the heart of the premium market. With progressive design, advanced electric and digital technology, the driving dynamics and build quality that customers expect of a premium vehicle, the e-tron lets consumers go electric without compromise. The e-tron is expected to be delivered to showrooms in the first part of 2019. The e-tron will be the first of three battery-electric vehicles that Audi plans to debut by 2020, with nearly 30 percent of its customers in the U.S. anticipated to go electric by 2025.
Concept Audi PB 18 e-tron
Audi’s showed its technical concept car at Pebble Beach Automotive Week in Monterey, California. The all-electric Audi PB 18 e-tron presents a radical vision for the high-performance sports car of tomorrow. Broad and flat, visibly inspired by the wind tunnel and the race track, its very presence signals that it is destined to push boundaries. Its concept and exciting lines were created in the new Audi design studio in Malibu, California – where the brand’s design is consistently being updated for the future. The technical concept of the PB 18 e-tron has benefitted from Audi’s many years of winning the Le Mans racing series. The experts at Audi Sport GmbH, the high-performance subsidiary of Audi, were responsible for implementation. The abbreviated name “PB 18 e-tron” refers both to the Pebble Beach venue for the premiere and to the technological DNA it shares with the successful LMP1 racing car Audi R18 e-tron.
The internal working title at Audi for the show car project was “Level Zero” – as an explicit way to differentiate it from the Levels 3, 4 and 5 of automated driving currently in focus at Audi. In the Audi PB 18 e-tron, the driver is the one steering and stepping on the accelerator or brake pedal. There are therefore no complex systems for piloted driving on board and no comfort features to add weight. In their place are a driver’s seat and cockpit that are integrated into an inner monocoque shell that can be slid laterally. When driven solo, the monocoque can be positioned in the center of the interior as in a monoposto – the perfect location for the racetrack. This is made possible not least by the by-wire design of the steering and pedals; a mechanical connection of the control elements is not needed.
The concept uses three powerful electric motors – one up front and two in the rear. The latter are centrally located between the steering knuckles, each directly driving one wheel via half-shafts. They deliver power output of up to 150 kW to the front axle and 450 kW to the rear – the Audi PB 18 e-tron is a true quattro, of course. Maximum output is 500 kW, with boosting, the driver can temporarily mobilize up to 570 kW. The combined torque of up to 830 newton meters (612.2 lb-ft) allows acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h (62.1 mph) in scarcely more than 2 seconds – a speed that differs only marginally from that of a current LMP1 prototype.
In normal road traffic, the driver can limit the maximum speed in favor of range. This limitation is easy to deactivate on the racetrack and can be adapted to local conditions.
The focus is on not just powerful performance but also maximum efficiency. While being driven, the Audi PB 18 e-tron is designed to recover large amounts of energy: up to moderate braking, the electric motors are solely responsible for decelerating the vehicle. The hydraulic brakes only come into play for heavy braking.