Audi A8L e-tron Spied in Death Valley (Exclusive)

It’s no secret that Death Valley, California is a popular place for car manufacturers to test in extreme temperatures. In as much, keeping an eagle eye when in the area is well worth it as you may spy something that hasn’t been seen before. Case in point is Audi Club member Troy Sicotte who was cruising through the area and noticed an as-of-yet-unseen Audi A8L e-tron hiding in plain sight.

Given the A8 has already been revealed on a show stand and is even on the market in Europe, it’s doubtful Audi felt any need to disguise its long-wheelbase sedan. The brand even revealed some information on its upcoming e-tron quattro version when the car was first shared with press last summer. Even still, images of the A8L e-tron with its unique bumper and grille treatments hasn’t been revealed yet and so it’s news to viewers.

What do we know about the A8L e-tron? Press on location at the Audi Summit in Barcelona last summer, publications such as electriccarsreport.com, reveal the A8L e-tron will feature a plug-in hybrid style drivetrain pairing a 340-hp 3.0-liter TFSI engine with electric motor assist in order to boast 449 hp and 516 lb-ft combined power.

To put that in perspective, that’s effectively the same hp as the outgoing A8 4.0 TFSI and the same torque as the outgoing S8. Acceleration will be 0-62 mph in 4.9 seconds and top speed will be limited to 155 mph.

Lithium ion batteries in a flat block 104 cell configuration and mounted beneath the trunk will store 14.1 kWh of energy. It is estimated that the A8L e-tron quattro running on solely electric power can cover some 31 miles. Wireless charging via a floor pad will also be offered, and can be activated via MMI or a mobile app.

Using a fixed wire industrial charger, the A8L e-tron will be capable of charging in just two hours. The aforementioned MMI or charging app will also function here as charging timers.