Audi has been changing the way it does sport and this RS Q e-tron is one of the products of that change. This is a sort of hybridized, but electric-powered, off-road racecar that is set to enter the 2022 Dakar Rally. There, its electric power will compete against some of the best internal combustion engines for the job of navigating the desert.
“The quattro was a gamechanger for the World Rally Championship. Audi was the first brand to win the Le Mans 24 Hours with an electrified drivetrain. Now, we want to usher in a new era at the Dakar Rally, while testing and further developing our e-tron technology under extreme conditions. Our RS Q e-tron was created on a blank sheet of paper in record time and stands for Vorsprung durch Technik.” – Julius Seebach, Managing Director of Audi Sport GmbH and responsible for motorsport at Audi.
The electric power driving the Audi RS Q e-tron through the desert.
We just described the Audi RS Q e-tron as “sort of hybridized,” but what do we mean by that? Well, the car is powered by two MGU electric motors which it got from the FE07 Formula E car. They get their juice from a 50 kWh battery.
“What we are trying to do has never been done before. This is the ultimate challenge for an electric drivetrain.” – Julius Seebach
However, electric power is very limited by range since you can’t just refuel. That is where the hybrid part comes in but in a less conventional sense. The Audi RS Q e-tron has a 2-litre TFSI turbopetrol engine that will act as a generator to power those electric engines for more range.
This leaves Audi’s new Dakar racer to be electric-powered but still, petrol-fueled. Does this defeat the purpose? Probably. But, we are sure that this is either to push the limits of what electric power can offer. Or just for the novelty of having electric motors completing the grilling challenge of the Dakar.
Source: CARmag | Car and Driver | Audi