Audi's turbodiesel, electric flywheel hybrid, all-wheel drive prototype race car

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Audi's new R18 e-tron quattro demonstrates the extraordinary boldness of the Audi company in actually risking something substantial (damaging it's Quattro heritage) to demonstrate new capabilities - harnessing the combination of electric and traditional horsepower to gain a demonstrable competitive advantage

The new R18 e-tron quattro

R18 e-tron quattro

The Porsche GT3 Hybrid used in 2010 and 2011 used a Williams Hybrid unit

The Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid used Williams Hybrid Power energy storage in 2011

The Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid of 2011

The Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid front axle

The Toyota petrol electric TS030 HYBRID

R18 e-tron quattro

The Audi R18 e-tron quattro

R18 e-tron quattro in early testing

A close-up of the new electrical drive and storage system

Dr Wolfgang Ulrich, Audi's Head of Motorsport

The Audi driver line-up for 2012 contains the usual suspects

The average winning speed at Le Mans has been kept in check at around 125 mph - the graph does not indicate however, just how much faster the cars are going around corners.

The best images we could find of the 1999 model 3.6L Turbo V8 Toyota GT-One were at an enthusiast modelling site.

An Audi TDI engine has never suffered a failure at Le Mans.

The R10, the first racing Audi with a TDI engine - it won every time out at Le Mans

The big 5.5 liter engine from the first R10

Wind tunnel testing is part of an extremely through design process for Audi Motorsport

The beginning of the 2011 Le Mans 24 hour and two Audis narrowly lead a gaggle of Peugeots

Audi's aspirations for the e-tron name were made very clear during the 2011 Le Mans pre-race show when this Audi e-tron electric concept car did a lap of the circuit

Toyota's first 24 hour win using hybrid technology was back in 2007 with the Toyota Supra HV-R Hybrid

The 2007 Toyota Supra HV-R Hybrid

The Audi quattro of the early eighties was dominant in WRC

The Audi quattro of the early eighties

Yamaha and Ohlins have been experimenting with 2WD motorcycles for more than a decade

Christini's 2WD motorcycle and a prototype 2WD motorcycle from designer Ian Drysdale.

Article Summary

Audi's newly revealed R18 e-tron quattro race car is designed to win the 2012 Le Mans 24 Hour Race. Whatsmore, the turbodiesel, electric flywheel hybrid, all-wheel drive prototype will ensure the 2012 race will be a battle of the hybrids (against Toyota's new TS030 ultracapacitor hybrid race car), and a fascinating study of new technologies under race conditions. The car uses electric motors to add 75 kW (102 bhp) of power to each front wheel, and a 375 kW (510 bhp) V6 TDI engine powers the rear wheels. The Williams Hybrid Power electric flywheel hybrid captures energy similarly to the unit Porsche used to such great effect in its GT3 R Hybrid last year with the rear axle powered conventionally, and the front wheels by electric motors. Audi calls it "the electrification of the drive" and it will be a story worth following as battle begins on the racetrack.

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