Audi at the Dakar Rally: Audi with most efficient concept at Dakar Rally

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12/21/2022
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Audi is consistently increasing the level of difficulty for its electric drive concepts in motorsport. Electrification began a decade ago with the Audi R18 e-tron quattro for the 2012 Le Mans 24 Hours and the FIA World Endurance Championship WEC. In 2017, Audi took on the challenge of battery-electric drives for the first time in Formula E. In 2022, an electric drive from Audi with a high-voltage battery and energy converter had to prove itself for the first time in the world’s toughest desert rally. The Audi RS Q e-tron won four stages at the Dakar Rally at the first attempt. The second start is scheduled for 2023. In addition to new technology, Audi is also focusing on a significantly reduced environmental footprint through a new fuel blend.

“At Audi, we are pursuing a consistent strategy of decarbonization,” says Oliver Hoffmann, Board Member for Technical Development at Audi. “Our battery vehicles and renewable electricity are the lead technologies. Complementing them, renewable fuels offer the possibility of running internal combustion engines in a more climate-friendly way. The Audi RS Q e-tron combines both systems in its innovative drive. As a result, we are now on the road even more sustainably in the toughest motorsport imaginable for electric drives.” The energy converter of the Audi RS Q e-tron is now running on reFuels for the first time. This fuel blend uses residue-based products. It therefore does not compete with food and saves 60 percent carbon dioxide emissions.

The energy converter consists of a highly efficient TFSI engine with a generator and charges the high-voltage battery as needed. It supplies the electric drive of the Audi RS Q e-tron with energy. The high efficiency of the overall system saves fuel significantly compared to conventional drives. “The increase in demands in desert rallying compared to circuit racing is enormous,” says Head of Audi Motorsport Rolf Michl. “The different surfaces, stage lengths, types and frequencies of dune sections mean different challenges every day. Even the temperature makes a difference: the hotter the sand, the higher the rolling resistance. This is probably one of the toughest motorsport disciplines for e-drives.”

For the engineering team of Audi Sport and Q Motorsport, this means: Every day is unpredictable. This means that the conditions in the desert are the opposite of those in a circuit race, where energy consumption is aligned with the mostly steady rhythm of the race laps. Audi had gained initial experience with electrification in 2012 in its sports prototype program. The Audi R18 e-tron quattro recorded three Le Mans victories in succession as well as four titles in the FIA World Endurance Championship WEC. In 2017, Audi switched to Formula E. After a total of seven years, Team Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler was the most successful team in Formula E history with a total of 47 podium finishes – including 14 victories. Particular highlights included winning the drivers championship in 2017 and the team championship in its debut season as a factory team in 2018. At its first start in the 2022 Dakar Rally, the Audi RS Q e-tron immediately achieved results among the top three in the one-day classifications 14 times. Six weeks later in Abu Dhabi, Stéphane Peterhansel/Edouard Boulanger achieved the first overall victory in a rally.