Audi goes hybrid and ultralight with R18 Le Mans racers

Generally, when we talk hybrids, we're talking about a car that either powers itself on batteries at low speeds, only firing up the internal combustion engine when a little extra giddy-up is needed, or an electric car that turns the gas-powered piston pusher inside into a glorified power plant. Audi's e-tron quattro is a little different, though. The R18 sports a four-wheel drive system that powers one axle with an electric motor, while the other gets its juice from a 510 hp V6. The e-tron quattro also has a sibling, the Audi R18 Ultra, which seeks to compensate for the added weight of a hybrid drive train by using extremely lightweight materials, like carbon fiber, wherever possible -- including the gearbox. Both cars will be making their debut at the Le Mans 24 Hour on June 16th. For more details check out the PR after the break.

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Audi goes hybrid and ultralight with R18 Le Mans racers originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/01/audi-goes-hybrid-and-ultralight-with-r18-le-mans-racers/

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