Audi will compete in the Dakar Rally, which will be held this January, with an electric SUV, the Audi i-Tron RS Q. It is currently completing another off-road immersion, this time in Morocco, as part of the preparations for the grueling race.
Audi's goal is quite clear, to demonstrate the electric capacity of which is in the hands of the company and if possible on the road, to bring home a trophy.
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The challenge facing the company is not simple at all - in order to win a marathon rally like the Dakar, one has to maintain a high average speed in difficult terrain conditions and demonstrate absolute reliability over hundreds of kilometers over long days.
The E-Tron, built by Audi Ladkar, is powered by a battery that weighs about 370 kg (816 kg) and has a capacity of about 50 kWh.
It powers electric motors at the front and rear that produce a combined power of 671 hp.
With stages that can also cover more than 800 km a day, the electric race car relies on a 2.0-liter four-cylinder TFSI engine - to charge the batteries if necessary.
Charging positions?
Not in the middle of the desert and certainly not during a race.
It is time to note the heat conditions that characterize this race and its fast pace.
Speeds of 200 km / h in the field are not uncommon here and these two details do not exactly help the range of an electric car.
The car will be driven by three veteran battle foxes, led by Stephen Peterhansel who recorded Dakar victories on two and four wheels, Carlos Saines who is no stranger to rally driving (to say the least ומ) and Matthias Ekstrom who drove and drives for Audi at various championships (including the Rally-Cross Championship).
First-class drivers, who mostly attest to the goal that Audi has set for itself in this desert raid.
During the test days held in Morocco, the team encountered extreme temperatures that were even higher than those expected in the race itself.
With heat climbing above 40 degrees, sandstorms and other difficulties, the tests were complicated and required finding different solutions.
Maintaining the temperature of the propulsion system is critical, not only because of the range of the batteries but also in order to allow maximum performance for the electric motors - according to Audi.
And this is just one thing that needs to be addressed.
The 2022 edition of the Dakar Rally will be launched in Saudi Arabia between the beginning of January.
The tough race will last 12 days with the teams having to face 8,000 km of difficult terrain.
What a lot of sand, heat and other challenges on the menu.
Audi, meanwhile, is continuing to build race cars, hoping to prove that their non-throne can withstand these conditions.
Not a trivial matter.
