Motorsport as a Testbed for Future Technical Solutions. For over forty years, Audi’s presence in motor racing has been driven by the philosophy of using it as a testing ground for future technical solutions. This commitment is employed to assess new technologies destined for series production, culminating in 2026 with the German marque’s entry into the Formula 1 World Championship. Regardless of the type of competition faced, alongside the accumulation of specific technological know-how, the ultimate ambition in automotive racing is always victory, synonymous with performance, efficiency, and reliability.
This is especially true in events like the Dakar Rally, the most prestigious rally raid in the world, which Audi chose to tackle three years ago with a purely electric vehicle named the “Rs Q e-tron,” leveraging expertise gained from successful participations in the Formula E World Championship. A three-year project culminated in victory in the 2024 Dakar, marking the first time a non-internal combustion vehicle triumphed in the overall car category.
Audi “Rs Q e-tron”: Experience as a Key Factor
Audi “Rs Q e-tron”
Carlos Sainz, already a winner of three Dakar rallies and two World Rally Championships, at 61 became the oldest driver to win the most demanding and challenging rally raid in the world, bringing the trophy to Ingolstadt. For Audi, this achievement resulted from meticulous technical refinement aimed at improving the performance, reliability, and safety of the “Rs Q e-tron” compared to its already high standards demonstrated in the 2022 and 2023 editions, where Audi secured six stage wins and 22 podiums.
The final step toward ultimate victory necessitated a thorough revision of nearly all components, from software to chassis, bodywork to transmission, with the primary goal of reducing the vehicle’s vertical speed during landings from large jumps. With this objective, Audi’s technicians intervened on springs, shock absorbers, and underbody to better distribute loads, achieving a more balanced setup. The crash box, made of a mixture of thermoplastic polyurethane and carbon fiber and located at the front end of the chassis, was enlarged to ensure superior absorption capabilities without compromising the approach angle, a crucial parameter in a rally raid.
Similarly, the vehicle underwent significant weight reduction in every component, from the rear hood to the brake calipers, to accommodate larger and heavier wheels and tires compared to previous years, nearing the minimum regulatory weight of 2,100 kilograms. Unchanged from the 2022 and 2023 models was the powertrain, extensively tested for reliability and structured based on a hybrid thermal-electric system in a series architecture, aiming to combine the performance and efficiency advantages of electric propulsion with those of an internal combustion engine used as a range extender, thus avoiding compromises in autonomy.
This necessity arises from the inability to rely on full electric battery architectures due to the impossibility of recharging batteries in the extreme environments of the competition and the storage needs that would require daily routes spanning over 400 kilometers of special stages.
Audi “Rs Q e-tron”: Turbo-Petrol Range Extender
For this reason, Audi’s technicians equipped the “Rs Q e-tron” with a limited-capacity 52-kilowatt-hour battery weighing 370 kilograms, complemented by a four-cylinder turbo-petrol direct injection “Tfsi” engine as a range extender, powered by a renewable fuel based on plant residues with no impact on the food chain, capable of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 60 percent compared to traditional fuel. This unit couples with an electric motor solely acting as a power generator for battery recharging, while propulsion is delegated to two electric motors, “Mgu05,” derived from the units equipping the Audi “e-tron Fe07” single-seaters competing in the aforementioned Formula E World Championship.
Dedicated Drivetrain
Positioned on the front and rear axles, they deliver a maximum total regulatory power for 2024 of 286 kilowatts, equivalent to 389 horsepower, utilizing a drivetrain and auxiliary components modified specifically to meet the competitive and environmental demands of a challenging rally raid like the Dakar.
Title: Audi “Rs Q e-Tron”
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