AUDI R8 E-TRON
ELECTRIC CAR CASE STUDY
NÜRBURGRING RECORD HOLDER FOR A TWO WHEEL DRIVE ELECTRIC ROAD VEHICLE
Zytek and Audi collaborated on the development of this all electric car, with Zytek developing the key electrification technology.
e-tron is the brand Audi uses for its range of electric vehicles, the first e-tron was the all electric R8 featuring most notably in the Iron Man movie franchise.
Developed as a road car, this vehicle has set records for the fastest production electric car at the Nürburgring.
Zytek Engaged To Develop a New System
When targeting lap records for electric cars, existing sportscar platforms can seem the ideal place to start; but the combination of limited package space and a high energy content for the main HV battery lead to a very limited space in which to package a high performance drivetrain.
As a result, we were engaged to develop a new system to meet the highest of demands:
- A high output (torque and power).
- In a 300mm diameter cylindrical package space at the rear of the car.
- Offering full authority torque vectoring.
- All designed under the newly-released ISO26262 ASIL-D standard.
In addition, final samples offering full functionality were required in 18 months.
Meeting Performance Targets
The team set about breaking down the high level tasks into individual work packages, with a keen eye on meeting the performance goals on a system basis using advanced modelling techniques from the outset.
The ability to develop electric machine, gearbox and inverter in parallel allowed whole vehicle electrical losses to be minimised, maximising performance and vehicle range.
A compact package that would meet both the vehicle-defined envelope needs and function without derating under worst-case conditions, was conceived, designed, manufactured, tested and validated on testbeds before being integrated into the vehicle.
Testing took place in all conditions, hot, cold and high speed, to ensure that all functionality worked as designed.
Nürburgring Record Holder
The vehicle was driven at speed around the Nürburgring to verify that all performance targets had been achieved.
For a two-wheel drive road-going electric vehicle, the record still stands today – a true electric sports car, and case study we are very proud of.
