So here we are, after
quite a long gap, back to our Superheroes Special. We had the famed Dark Knight
last time and in this week’s column we’d be talking about someone similar.
Our
superhero subject is world famous for his lethargic attitude and hilarious
slapstick humor sense. Not to forget about his billionaire panache. He is
regarded as one of the wealthiest men alive on the planet – sharing the title
with Mr. Bruce Wayne and a few others. This superhero character was portrayed
by none other than Hollywood’s most wanted actor – Robert Downey Jr. Yes our
superhero this week is IRON MAN.
Mr.
Tony Stark (the common man alias of Iron Man) is the kind of guy that young
entrepreneurs would look upto. Tony is not your usual superhero who is a
down-to-earth middle class man with a mediocre news reporter career. He is an
American billionaire, playboy cum philanthropist (as he calls himself) and owns
Stark Industries, a self funding, advanced weaponry Research Corporation based
in the US.
Billionaires
and supercars are like bread and butter. They are inseparable. Assuring the
obvious fact, Mr. Stark is seen using handful of these engineering marvels.
We’ll just focus on the odd one out. In Iron Man 3 - the movie, Tony uses a flash red, eye candy
from Audi. On the first look, people could easily mistake it for an Audi R8 –
the one that he uses in the prequels of the movie. In fact, it looks a lot like
the Audi R8 but it is not. It is the Audi
R8 e-tron. It is an all electric car from Audi, and currently the most
popular and successful Electric Supercar.
Several
manufacturers have been toying around with the idea of a purely battery powered
supercar, but none have jumped into the act with commitment. This is where Audi
has succeeded, with the likes of Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG in its rear view mirror.
The R8 e-tron is physically a variant of the regular Audi R8 V8 and V10
supercars. The design engineers at Ingolstadt
wouldn’t have found it too difficult to design a supercar from scratch, as they
already had the R8’s design as a template. The e-tron follows the mid-engine
layout of the R8 which means, the heavy batteries are mounted in the centre of
the chassis, without distorting the weight distribution of the car. In essence,
the e-tron must be able to compete alongside the R8 V8 and V10. The question
that arises in everyone’s minds will be – Will it be as exhilarating as its
elder brothers?
The
V10 or the V8 would pack the punch that gearheads like us look for in a car.
There are no second thoughts about that. As a matter of fact, the R8 V10
provides an unadulterated amount of power and a glorious soundtrack from the
engine. All these would be missed on the e-tron. Being able to reach high top
speeds in the least amount of time is the prime function of a supercar. If that
is the case, then the R8 e-tron will not disappoint you. Yes. The Audi R8
e-tron is a world record breaker. With a lap time of 08:09.999 minutes, it is
the fastest production vehicle with an electric drive system around the Nurburgring circuit. The car was driven to success by racing driver Markus
Winkelhock.
DESIGN
As mentioned
earlier, the e-tron is a mere edited version of the regular Audi R8. Though, it
has minor styling tweaks that slightly differentiate it. Up front, the first
thing that catches your eyes is the redesigned headlamps with the signature LED
daytime running lights. This form of lighting has crept into almost all car
manufacturers’ tool bag, but Audi does it best. Then the large grill and the air intakes on
the front bumper act perfectly in cooling the front brakes. As we move on to
the rear, the huge air intakes flanking the doors cannot be missed. Their main
function is to cool the engine. (!?!) The batteries produce a lot of heat on
their own and they require proper cooling mechanisms to ensure efficiency. The
rear end remains pretty much the same, except for the little “ctrl+x” operation
that has been performed on the exhaust exits.
PERFORMANCE
The R8 E-tron is powered by four
motors – two on the front and two in the rear axles that each connect to their
respective wheel by the use of a small shaft. By using the four motor setup
this R8 delivers 313 hp and 4,500 Nm (3,319 lb-ft) of torque. It is capable of
accelerating from 0 to 62 mph in 4.8 seconds. The true four-wheel drive system
allows the Audi to become a full fledged Quattro car. By having four completely
separate motors the onboard computer is also able to make the smallest
adjustments to power outputs so that understeer and oversteer can be corrected.
The car weighs in at roughly 1600 kg (curb weight), out of
which the batteries weigh 550 kg. The overall reduction in weight is credited
to the aluminum body and Audi’s Space frame technology. There is a triangular
wishbone suspension on the front and a trapezoidal link rear suspension on the
back. The entire set up is balanced on large 19 inch wheels. The power for the
electric motors will be supplied by liquid-cooled, lithium ion batteries which
can be powered by your household current of 230 volts/16 amperes. Charging time
is about 6-8 hours when the battery has been completely depleted and goes down
to about 2.5 hours when high voltage is used. These charged up motors offer a
range of 155 miles. Another interesting fact is that, during braking the car is
able to convert the energy provided into a useful source for the electronic
systems helping to extend the range.
RIVALS
As mentioned above, Audi faces heavy
competition from Mercedes Benz, who are currently developing their electric
version of the SLS AMG. Unlike Audi, Mercedes are reluctant to get their models
on road for their customers. On the smaller end of the spectrum are Tesla and Fisker,
who have been developing this technology under the hood for years. Karma from Fisker is poised to take
over the luxury electric car segment, competing head-on with Chevrolet Volt,
but will not invade the E-tron market much.
PRICE
You can
expect the pricing to go with the likes of the discontinued Lamborghini
Gallardo, the e-tron would cost over Rs. 2.5 Crores on-road. With the
environmental awareness thing gaining a semi-religion status, making a
statement in a closed circle doesn’t come for free.
VERDICT
The pros : High performance, Four
motors, short charging time.
The cons :
Very light, High price
If you’re the “go-green, don’t be mean” types, and have a
huge bank balance, then close your eyes and go for the e-tron. On the other
hand, if you are petrolhead that seeks power, power and power, you have the
Audi R8 V10 waiting for you. Nevertheless the e-tron is not a bad choice for
people like Tony Stark.
-Nova
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