Audi’s radical vision for the future will be revealed when the all-electric PB18 e-tron makes its world premiere at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.
With a low and wide stance, the PB 18 e-tron concept inspires thoughts of the race track. The new Audi design studio in Malibu, California is responsible for the concept’s design with Audi Sport taking care of the implementation.
The Audi PB18 e-tron draws familiar parallels with the 2017 Audi Aicon concept with features such as the angled side windows and extended wheel arches not to mention the solid-state battery for energy storage, but that is where it ends.
Whilst the Aicon had an autonomous skill set, the PB18 e-tron has been designed as a radical driving machine for the road and racetrack. It’s been bred to perform.
Dictating many aspects of the concept vehicle was the need to consider propulsive power, lateral acceleration and perfect ergonomics to produce the epitome of driver-orientated driving experiences. This meant complex systems for piloted driving and comfort features were done away with in a bid to shave the kilos.
The driver’s seat and cockpit have been integrated into an inner monocoque shell which slides laterally allowing the monocoque to reside in a central position when driving solo. A by-wire designed steering wheel and pedals mean a mechanical connection of the control elements is not needed.
A passenger seat can be accessed in the PB18 e-tron, by sliding the driver’s monocoque into the side position, which is integrated low down but still equipped with a proper seatbelt.
Measuring in at 4530mm long, 2000mm wide and 1150mm tall with a 2700mm wheelbase, the PB18 e-tron uses a mix of aluminium, carbon and multi-material composites to keep the weight down.
Cleverly the design of the PB18 e-tron allows for 470 litres of cargo space, a luxury not commonly found in sports cars.
In an effort to aid speediness the rear diffuser outlet sits in a raised position and can be moved downward mechanically to increase downforce whilst the rear spoiler can extend rearward for the same purpose.
22-inch wheels wrapped in 275/35 tires on the front and 315/30 on the rear fill the arches and feature eight asymmetrically designed spokes which work in conjunction with the air inlets and outlets of the wheel arches to ensure a steady air supply to the 19-inch carbon brake discs.
Moving inside, a large-format cockpit is found which is designed to be a freely programmable unit which can be switched between a range of layouts depending on the use. A transparent OLED surface is also mounted in the field of vision which can display a range of data including navigation directions.
Powering the PB18 e-tron are three electric motors positioned with one at the front and two at the rear. Maximum outputs are suggested at 500kW rising temporarily to 570kW with boosting. Combined torque of up to 830Nm is also available. Audi is claiming a 0 to 100km/h sprint time of just over 2.0 seconds.
The liquid-cooled solid-state battery is capable of providing 95kWh with a full charge providing a range of over 500km in the WLTP cycle. The PB18 e-tron has been designed for charging with 800 volts, meaning the battery can be fully recharged in about 15 minutes. Not bad.
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