PB18 E-Tron Concept is New EV Supercar

This is one to watch

The all-electric supercar concept made its debut last month at Laguna Seca racetrack and then received much acclaim at the automotive celebration that is Pebble Beach. The concept, with sliding seats, a single frame grille vent, and an aerodynamic shape that is so unlike anything the world has seen yet. The president of Audi of America ahead of the unveiling that "Audi is a race car brand. A brand of dynamism."

This is not for the passive

Gael Buzyn, the designer of the PB18, knows how special this creation is and is very cognizant of what the vehicle means to the brand. “The industry is going through a transformation right now. Three pillars: Electrification, Autonomy, and Digitization,” said Buzyn. This transformation is creating a new business case, new user case scenario, (such as) the Aicon. They’re focused now on mobility and Level 5 (autonomous) cars and that’s fine but what about the car for the enthusiast driver?”

>>Join the conversation about this PB18 Concept right here in the Audi World Forum!

There is so much tech in this car

Audi says that the PB18 concept takes cues from the R18 Le Mans racer while also having been sculpted a great deal by wind tunnels and race tracks. The fact that there is a seat for the driver front and center right off the bat lets you know that this vehicle was made to burn asphalt. Under the bodywork is three electric motors with a 95-kWh solid-state battery to produce 670 horsepower and 612 lb-ft of torque. The PB18 features a charging capability of 800 volts, which means filling up on power would only take 15 minutes. Also, the supercar features induction charging so you won't have to exit the cabin in order to juice up.  

>>Join the conversation about this PB18 Concept right here in the Audi World Forum!

It's all for the driver

“For us, it was, ‘Okay, you know what? It’s not Level 1, 2, 3, 4, it’s Level zero.’ It’s all about driving. What we wanted to do was retrieve a form of purity in driving,” Buzyn said. Upon opening the door you would enter the vehicle on the left-hand side just like any production vehicle in the states. Once inside, the driver, dash cluster, steering wheel, and pedals will all move towards the center of the supercar. All of that is capable thanks to a "drive by wire" system that utilizes the steering, acceleration, and braking. However, if you'd like to have a passenger seat installed into the vehicle then the driver's chair won't move anywhere. 

>>Join the conversation about this PB18 Concept right here in the Audi World Forum!

I hope we see something like this soon

While you can impress everyone with performance numbers, the car will feel equally at home off of the track with a change in driving setting and spacious room for luggage. “Everything we do at Audi, we do as engineers. We use technology and build from it. Not the other way around, where we dream and hope that it can happen. We use technology that is now available to do that. So it’s very possible that this could be translated into a production car.” Buzyn goes on to say, "The future is in our hands, that’s what we do at Audi. We design the future."

>>Join the conversation about this PB18 Concept right here in the Audi World Forum!

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