Responsive, efficient and suitable for everyday use. That is how Audi have described what they say is the future of electric mobility.

This follows the presentation of the Audi e-tron quattro concept at the International Motor Show (IAA) 2015 in Frankfurt.

It is the brand's first large-scale production electric car, and the flow-enhanced design with a drag coefficient of 0.25 should be available in 2018.

"It combines driving pleasure with great range, an expressive design and excellent comfort," said Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Member of the Audi Board of Management for Technical Development.

The Audi e-tron quattro concept uses the power of three electric motors: one electric motor drives the front axle, the two others act on the rear. The concept study performs like a sports car, so when the driver floors the throttle pedal, the Audi e-tronquattro concept sprints from a standstill to 62mph in 4.6 seconds and quickly reaches the electronically governed top speed of 130mph.

It doesn't stop there. Audi say that the large lithium-ion battery, which is integrated into the floor of the passenger compartment, holds a capacity of 95 kWh  that enables a range of more than 310 miles.

Audi have developed a virtual cockpit that features in the Audi e-tron quattro concept, with all displays in the interior using OLED technology. To the left and right below the fully-digital instrument cluster within the cockpit are two touch displays with black glass and a subtle aluminium frame.

The driver controls the lights and the systems for piloted driving with the left display. The large display on the right is for media and navigation management, the steering wheel serves as an alternate control level, and its spokes are equipped with contoured touch surfaces.

The concept study is equipped with all the technologies that Audi has developed for piloted driving: radar sensors, a video camera, ultrasonic sensors and a laser scanner. The date these supply come together in the central driver assistance controller (zFAS) in the luggage compartment. It computes a complete model of the car's surroundings in real time and makes this information available to all assistance systems and the systems for piloted driving.

Audi say that these technologies are also nearly ready for use in production vehicles.

 

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