Sports cars and performance models also seem to be unavoidable in the long run: full electrification. Audi and Mercedes-Benz already came up with it in the first half of the previous decade, but then left the idea on the shelf. Time to put the pioneers R8 e-tron and SLS Electric Drive in the spotlight again!
Audi and Mercedes-Benz are currently rapidly electrifying their performance labels. The most prominent examples are the 646 hp RS E-tron GT and the Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 4Matic with 658 hp electrical muscles. Audi Sport has already indicated that by 2030 all RS models will be electrified, including plug-in hybrids. Mercedes-AMG follows a similar course. Moral of the story: the combustion engine is playing an increasingly less prominent role in both Audi Sport and Mercedes-AMG. The same contours are evident at BMW M.
Audi R8 e-tron
Looking at the past, however, it can be concluded that both brands left the development of sporty EVs behind for a long time after the first concrete harbingers, or at least did not pay visible attention to it. We start with Audi. The R8 e-tron first appeared in 2009 as a concept car. In terms of shape, it looked a lot like the previous R8, but it looked a lot more futuristic than its fuel-engine brother thanks to the lack of side mirrors, the sharp-lined LED headlights and smooth rear bumper. It was not until three years later that a prototype of the R8 e-tron appeared for the first time. That same year, Audi set a lap record for electric road cars on the Nürburgring of 8 minutes and 9 seconds. In comparison, the Porsche Taycan did the same trick in 2019 in 7 minutes and 42 seconds.
The R8 e-tron in action at the Nürburgring.
The numbers of the R8 e-tron do not mean much anymore with all the lightning-fast EVs of today. The first prototype had a power of 381 hp and 820 Nm of torque. This enabled the plug athlete to sprint to 100 km/h in 4.2 seconds and zoom through to a limited top speed of 200 km/h. Audi gave a range of 215 kilometers. After that, Ingolstadt was quite hesitant about the electric R8. At first it seemed that Audi was canceling production of the R8 e-tron, but later the brand opened that door again.
In 2015, the second generation of the R8 also came as an e-tron. In appearance, it was not very startling: the slats in the front and rear bumpers, the closed grille and wheels and the e-tron logo in the rear bumper were the only changes. In terms of specifications, it improved considerably compared to its predecessor. With 460 hp and 920 Nm of torque, you can safely speak of a considerable power surge. The sprint to 100 km/h could now be completed in 3.9 seconds and the top speed was a limited 210 km/h. The range also increased sharply to 450 kilometers thanks to the battery pack from 92 kWh. Later in 2015, Audi presented the R8 e-tron Piloted Driving, a car that served as a demonstration model for the semi-autonomous driving systems that Audi was developing at that point.
Audi R8 e-tron
Ultimately it was to no avail: in 2016 Audi pulled the plug on the R8 e-tron. The R8 with a plug is said to cost about €1 million. Apparently the Germans no longer saw any benefit in that. Ultimately, about 100 copies of the R8 e-tron were built.
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Electric Drive
Where the Audi R8 e-tron was initially ‘only’ 380 hp strong, Mercedes-Benz immediately stepped on the power pedal. In 2012, the SLS AMG Electric Drive, the production version of the SLS AMG E-Cell, was unveiled. While the first R8 e-tron lost out to the R8 V8 in terms of power, the electric SLS with 750 hp and 1,000 Nm of torque was immediately the most powerful SLS ever. The Electric Drive also got four-wheel drive, because each wheel had its own electric motor. Despite these impressive numbers, the Electric Drive was no faster than the regular SLS coupé with 6.2 V8: the sprint to 100 km/h took place in 3.9 seconds and the Electric Drive could zoom up to a maximum of 250 km/h. After all, he also had to carry quite a bit of extra weight. It weighed almost 2,100 kilos, where the regular SLS touched just over 1,600 kilos.
Day V8!
The SLS Electric Drive was first recognizable by its partially sealed grille with small holes in it. At the rear, the two large exhaust pipes gave way to a diffuser with horizontal slats above it. Furthermore, only the ‘Electric Drive’ badges on the sides betrayed that you were dealing with a plug athlete. There were also no major changes to the interior, apart from a slightly different arrangement of the instruments due to the electric powertrain. Incidentally, you did not get very far with the electric SLS. The battery capacity of 60 kWh meant that after 250 kilometers you had to look for a charging point again. In the most ideal case, because that 250 kilometers is based on the now outdated NEDC test cycle. The SLS Electric Drive was therefore not really efficient.
With all kinds of smart adjustments in the chassis, Mercedes-Benz tried to make the plug-in SLS still sporty, despite its much higher weight. In the end, the Benz was a bit faster than the R8 e-tron on the Nürburgring with a time of 7 minutes and 56 seconds. Then very quickly for an EV, but now passed left and right. The SLS Electric Drive was on the market for a short time and cost no less than €416,500. Reportedly less than 100 copies have been sold. Pioneering has a price…
The future
In retrospect, the R8 e-tron and SLS Electric Drive were perhaps too far ahead of their time. In 2012, there was no need for electric sports cars and the technology was still far too expensive to market cost-effectively, quite apart from the shortcomings compared to the petrol-powered variants. Audi and Mercedes-Benz closed this chapter at the time, but are now forced to open the electrical book again. Currently, Ingolstadt and Affalterbach do not offer electric versions of the R8 and AMG GT respectively, but it is very likely that the R8 e-tron and the SLS Electric Drive will receive a spiritual successor one day.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl