Audi has introduced the R8 e-tron piloted driving concept at the CES Asia show in Shanghai, China.
As its name implies, the concept is essentially a self-driving version of the 2017 R8 e-tron that was shown to the public last March at the Geneva Motor Show. The coupe is fitted with a new laser scanner, several video cameras, ultrasonic sensors and radar sensors that scope out the road ahead and send information to the central driver assistance control unit.
Audi has not made any mechanical changes, meaning the piloted driving concept packs an all-electric drivetrain made up of two electric motors that generate a total of 455 horsepower and 678 lb-ft. of torque. The coupe reaches 62 mph from a stop in 3.9 seconds – 0.6 seconds slower than the fastest gas-powered R8 – and it goes on to a top speed of 155 mph.
The motors get power from a T-shaped battery pack designed and built in-house. The e-tron boasts a total driving range of 279 miles, and the pack can be fully charged in less than two hours thanks to an on-board Combined Charging System.
The Audi R8 e-tron piloted driving concept is not merely a wild, futuristic design study. Audi promises its self-driving technology will hit the market in a year or two, and it hints that R8 e-tron buyers will be able to order some form of automation at an extra cost.
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