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Evo drives the Audi R18 E-Tron Quattro on track

Audi invited Evo scribe Richard Meaden to the Misano circuit in Italy to drive the Audi R18 E-Tron Quattro - and not just any R18 Quattro, were such a thing possible, but the No. 2 car that took first place at Le Mans this year driven by Marcel Fassler, Andre Lotterer and Benoit Treluyer. Meaden got just four laps in the diesel hybrid racecar - a warm-up, two hot laps and a cool down lap - so this wasn't about testing the R18 E-Tron's limits. In fact, Meaden makes it clear that such a thing isn't even possible for less than a professional driver; when driving at his limits (admittedly in Audi's very expensive car being watched by dozens of Audi engineer eyeballs), the data showed he was using 60 percent of the pedal effort of the professionals. Nevertheless, Meaden does have a lot to say about how the car delivers its massive ability, and with the wide-view shot of the cockpit we also get to see how busy and how intimate an endurance driver's office is. Check it out in the video above. News Source: Evo via YouTube Green Audi Racing Vehicles Videos evo

Germany says nein to EU ban on new fossil-fuel cars from 2035

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's government will not agree to European Union plans to effectively ban the sale of new cars with combustion engines from 2035, Finance Minister Christian Lindner said on Tuesday. In its bid to cut planet-warming emissions by 55% by 2030 from 1990 levels, the European Commission has proposed a 100% reduction in CO2 emissions from new cars by 2035. That means it would be impossible to sell combustion engine cars from then. European Parliament lawmakers backed the proposals this month, before negotiations with EU countries on the final law take place. Speaking at an event hosted by Germany's BDI industry association, Lindner said there would continue to be niches for combustion engines so a ban was wrong and said the government would not agree to this European legislation. Lindner, a member of the pro-business Free Democrats, which shares power with the Social Democrats and Greens, said Germany would still be a leading market for electric vehicles. (Reporting by Christian Kraemer; Writing by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Miranda Murray and Edmund Blair) Green Government/Legal Green Audi BMW Mercedes-Benz Volkswagen Opel SEAT Skoda

Audi reveals even more efficient 2015 R18 E-Tron Quattro

We've seen two of this year's LMP1 manufacturer challengers – Porsche's updated 919 Hybrid and Nissan's GT-R LM Nismo. Audi has finished cooking up the successor to its Le Mans champion and unveiled the fifth-generation R18 E-Tron Quattro, even better than before. The bodywork monocoque is carried over, but the body around it has been reshaped to improve airflow from front to rear with a new hood, front fenders and wheel arches, and radiator configuration. The engine cover behind the cockpit is shrunk more closely around the engine, and there are new headlights. The hybrid system can expend double the energy per lap this year, putting Audi in the four-megajoule class under the energy-use regulations. That extra energy will come from 17-percent more capacity built into the flywheel storage system and an electric motor good for 272 horsepower. The revisions haven't increased the weight of the car, pegged to the minimum allowed at 870 kilograms. They have, however, forced changes to the TDI engine, which has to use 2.5-percent less fuel per lap to offset the increased hybrid output. The 558-hp V6 has been optimized such that it "managed to more than compensate for the loss" of fuel allowed, and Audi expects "significantly" lower lap times this year and less fuel used. We're still waiting to see what Toyota has done to its World Endurance Championship-winning racer, but we're already looking forward to this year's Le Mans. It's going to be cracking. You'll find a press release below the videos with more info on the Audi. Related Video: New Audi R18 e-tron quattro even more efficient - Aerodynamics, hybrid drive and many other details improved - Efficient TDI engine consumes even less fuel than before - Technologies from Le Mans winning cars now in production at Audi Ingolstadt, March 21, 2015 – Audi is starting the 2015 season with a thoroughly revised R18 e-tron quattro. In the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and in the Le Mans 24 Hours as the season's pinnacle event, Audi is going to compete with a hybrid sports car in the 4-megajoule class. A twofold quantity of hybrid energy, fundamentally revised aerodynamics, the next step in lightweight design and a lot of detailed work characterize the fifth generation of the Audi R18. "The possibilities of the revolutionary regulations that have been in effect for LMP sports cars since 2014 are far from having been fully used.