The Audi R8 e-tron project goes back at least six years. First it was on, then it was off, but now it’s back on again: The company has officially debuted the fully electrified version of the equally new second-generation R8, internally referred to as the R8 e-tron 2.0.

The longer-form history: The R8 e-tron made its first appearance as the e-tron concept at the 2009 Frankfurt auto show; we drove it shortly thereafter and were pleasantly surprised by the style and fit and finish of the prototype, which contrasted sharply with that of the contemporary Tesla Roadster. In 2010, as a side show to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, then Audi R&D chief Michael Dick drove a few laps on the course, barely finishing because of the charging state. But Audi remained committed to pushing the model into small-volume production—until Wolfgang Dürheimer succeeded Dick and, in a characteristic no-nonsense approach, put the project on hold. When Ulrich Hackenberg replaced Dürheimer, the e-tron was put back on track, but it was too late to introduce the car on the platform of the first-generation R8.

View Photos MARC URBANO, THE MANUFACTURER

The Particulars

The R8 e-tron 2.0 is fitted with a T-shaped lithium-ion battery shoehorned into the center tunnel and behind the passenger cell; it will be a rear-wheel-drive vehicle, and it can go a full 280 miles on an electric charge. The rear-mounted electric motors produce 456 horsepower and 679 lb-ft of torque, all funneled through a single-speed transmission. The sprint to 62 mph from a standstill is said to take just 3.9 seconds, and top speed is rated at 155 mph. That figure drops to 130 mph when low-rolling-resistance tires are fitted for maximum efficiency. The car’s dynamic abilities are enhanced by torque-vectoring capability enabled by the two rear motors.

For comparison's sake, the first e-tron concept—an all-wheel drive car with four motors—was rated at 313 horsepower and 502 lb-ft of torque. It would have reached 62 mph in a nondescript 5.2 seconds, and it would have topped out at an equally unremarkable 125 mph. Its range was rated at less than 150 miles.

R8 Aesthetics, Electrified

Visually, the R8 e-tron is sharply differentiated from the regular R8 by its slimmer tires, almost fully covered aero-focused wheels, a fixed and small rear lip spoiler, and horizontal silver garnishes on both ends. The front air intake is partially covered with a carbon-fiber insert. The overall look is more futuristic and technical than the regular R8 and somewhat reminiscent of that first e-tron prototype. Inside, the R8 e-tron is almost unchanged from the gasoline-powered model.

View Photos MARC URBANO, THE MANUFACTURER

Audi views the R8 e-tron as a rolling laboratory designed to gather data that will be used to create a vehicle seemingly targeting the Tesla Model X. R&D chief Ulrich Hackenburg confirms that Audi is looking at an SUV-like EV built on the Q7's MLB platform, one which won't share its styling with any other vehicle in the lineup. It will be sold at a yet-undisclosed price from late 2015 onward "in supreme hand-built quality," which translates to regular-human-speak as “volumes will be very low.” Deliveries begin in 2016, but the car will not be certified for the U.S. market.

However many R8 e-trons Audi ends up selling, the company must surely hope the number is higher than that of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Electric Drive—that car barely cracked into the double digits. In fact, a comparison with the BMW i8 could be more enlightening. BMW's supercar is not fully electric, of course, being a plug-in hybrid, but it’s a battle we’re nonetheless interested in seeing play out.

MARC URBANO, THE MANUFACTURER

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