Posted on: Aug 08, 2012 | 10,744 reads

Watch Audi Set the EV Lap Record at the Nurburgring with R8 e-tron

Video takes you behind the wheel as the R8 e-tron laps the Ring in record time.

The Nurburgring race track in Germany serves as something of a litmus test for performance automobiles, with a handful of automakers constantly trying to one-up eachother for the fastest lap times in various categories. The latest to make the headlines at the Green Hell was Audi, which set the fastest time for an electric vehicle with its R8 e-tron prototype. Driven by ex-DTM racer Markus Winkelhock, the e-tron lapped the 12.9-mile track in an impressive 8:09.099 last month, but only now has Audi released official video footage of the record lap.

Watch Audi Set the EV Lap Record at the Nurburgring with R8 e-tron

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Audi's electric supercar packs a pair of electric motors which, when working in tandem, combine to produce a respectable 308 horsepower but a whopping 604 pound-feet of torque. Capable of blasting off the line to 60 mph in only 4.6 seconds and reaching an electronically-limited top speed of 124 mph (the record-setting e-tron was raised to 155 mph), the e-tron trails the V8-powered R8 around the Nordschleife by only 5 seconds. The R8 e-tron is still undergoing rigorous testing, but Audi plans on putting it into production towards the end of 2012 at it plant in Neckarsulm, Germany.

Arch-rival Mercedes-Benz is also planning an electric version of its SLS AMG supercar, while BMW continues development of the i8 hybrid. The coming years, then, should see some fierce electric-powered action in Germany. In the meantime, you can check out Winkelhock's record-setting run in the clip below.