AUTO

Audi R8 is Going Electric – Again!

September 13, 2022

The next-generation Audi R8 supercar set to debut in 2025 will be 100% electric– and not for the first time, either!

That’s right, kids— while all the other EV sites post pictures of a Playstation special talking about an all-electric Audi supercar for 2025, we’re here to remind you that this was already a thing fully ten years earlier, all the way back in 2015, when Audi launched the original all-electric R8.

Audi e-tron Vision Gran Turismo

The Audi Vision Gran Turismo, developed by Audi Design exclusively for the "Vision Gran Turismo" competition, came in both hybrid and fully-electric versions. Launched on the 15th anniversary of Gran Turismo, these exciting race machines offer a look into the future of motorsports. — _{Image courtesy Polyphony Digital.}

Back then, the electric Audi was actually a bit slower than the ones packing a Lamborghini-derived V10 engine— but it was still no slouch. “The latest evolutionary version of the electrically-powered high-performance R8 e-tron sports car achieves a performance figure of 340 kW (455 HP) and a torque of 920 Nm (678.6 lb-ft),” reads the Audi website, under the “Previous Models” tab. “(The 2015 Audi R8 e-tron) sprints from a standstill to 100 km/h (62.1 mph) in 3.9 seconds. Thanks to new battery cells, the range could be more than doubled compared to the first version of this technological wonder – it is now more than 450 kilometers (279.6 mi).”

Things change though, don’t they? The top spot in Audi’s current performance-car lineup is held by the Audi e-tron GT RS, which packs more than 637 horsepower in the more expensive versions (that’s 35 more HP — and a lot more torque! — than the R8’s 602 HP V10) and rockets to 60 more quickly than its mid-engined cousin.

Still, the e-tron GT RS does tend to blend into the background in most major cities … the R8? From personal experience, we can tell that the Audi R8 definitely does not blend in. Whether that’s a pro or a con, however, is up to you.

The good news is you have until 2025 to ponder all that. In the meantime, check out these official photos of the electric Audi R8 e-tron from 2015, then let us know what you think of all this Audi e-news in the comments section at the bottom of the page.