Audi presents solid-state battery supercar
Audi presented their fully electric supercar concept featuring solid-state batteries at the Pebble Beach Automotive Week in Monterey, California. Named the PB18 e-tron, the study is a true look forward.
While Audi is still working on the serial production version of the e-tron quattro, the company went ahead and presented their newest vision for the future: a fully electric supercar concept with all the bells and whistles.
The PB18 e-tron is described by the developers as “a radical vision for the high-performance sports car of tomorrow”, featuring solid-state batteries and 800 volt architecture. The battery pack has a capacity of 95 kWh, which allows for a 500 km range in the WLTP cycle.
The PB18 features three motors – two in the back and one in the front, which have a combined output of 500 kW with an added boosting function which can temporarily push out 570 kW. The combined torque of the vehicle has been stated to be 830 Nm. The 800 volt architecture also allows for a 350 kW charging capacity.
Despite the futuristic focus of the vehicle, it is not designed around autonomous driving. Audi calls this approach “Level Zero” as an explicit way to differentiate it from the Levels 3, 4 and 5 of autonomous driving currently in focus at the carmaker. In the Audi PB18 the focus is on the driver and the electric car only allows for one more passenger, due to the central placing of the driver’s seat. Head of the design team, Gael Buzyn, said the following about his design choices: “We want to offer the driver an experience that is otherwise available only in a racing car like the Audi R18. That’s why we developed the interior around the ideal driver’s position in the center. Nevertheless, our aim was to also give the PB18 e-tron a high degree of everyday usability, not just for the driver, but also for a potential passenger.”
A last word on the battery and charging capabilities. The liquid-cooled solid-state battery has an energy capacity of 95 kWh and the Audi PB18 e-tron is already designed for charging with a voltage of 800 volts. This means the battery can be fully recharged in about 15 minutes. The Audi PB18 e-tron can also be charged via induction with Audi Wireless Charging (AWC).
0 Comments