Audi reveals RS Q e‑tron Dakar contender

Looks cool, doesn’t it? Like an Extreme E car that’s broken into Audi’s steroid cabinet. What, you may be wondering, is what that giant vent on the top is for, if it’s all-electric? Well, on the one hand, the drivers need an air supply. On the other, this is no conventional EV...

Even Audi with its technical powers can’t make a high-performance battery/motor combo that will last the length of the Dakar. As such, the RS Q e-tron comes with an onboard generator in the form of a DTM TFSI motor. When needed, it’ll hover between 4,500 and 6,000rpm – its most efficient operating range – plugged into an energy converter that charges the 50kWh high-voltage battery. On each axle are slightly modified Motor Generator Units last seen in Audi’s e-tron Formula E car.

Monstrously clever though the Audi boffins are, can the RS Q really be up to the Dakar, with two weeks of daily stages that can be up to 500 miles long? Well, that’s the point…

“What we are trying to do has never been done before,” says Andreas Roos, responsible for the Dakar project at Audi Sport. “This is the ultimate challenge for an electric drivetrain.”

Aside from topping up the trophy cabinet, there’s plenty to be achieved and learned with the RS Q e-tron. How will the batteries stand up to two weeks of extreme heat with constant charging and discharging? This thing could inform the next big step-change in Audi’s electric powertrain tech. We look forward to seeing it in action...