Audi R8 E-tron Sets Lap Record For Electric Cars At The Nurburgring


I’ve always considered electric cars to be a bit on the nose: expensive machines with limited range and poor performance. This cannot be said of Audi’s R8 E-tron edition though, which has just set the lap record at the infamous Nurburgring racetrack for an all-electric car.

The R8 is Audi’s flagship sports car and it’s one of the most elegant things getting about on four wheels right now. When making the electric variant that has now been minted as the e-tron, Audi wanted to make a “no-compromise” electric-powered racer, and it seems that it has.

The car has racked up a lap record for all-electric drive cars at the Nurburgring, completing the 20.8km track in just over 8 minutes and 9 seconds.

According to Audi, the speed restriction at the Nurburgring (normally 200km/h) were removed so that the R8 e-tron could gallop at its top speed of up to 250km/h. That’s one fast lightbulb.

The record for a traditionally-powered car around the Nurburgring was achieved by the fantastic little scamp, known as the Gumpert Apollo, which bested the track in just over 7 minutes and 11 seconds.

This car really is proving it’s might in the electric sports car world: first it won the Le Mans 24-hour endurance race, and now a lap record at the Nurburgring. Is electric motoring still on the nose?

Image: Autoviva, CC2.0


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