Audi eyes 2024 Dakar Rally season title with RS Q e-tron

Audi has expressed the readiness of the all-terrain-prepped RS Q e-tron for the 2024 Dakar Rally season.

The Ingolstadt-headquartered automotive marque said that a total of three RS Q e-tron units — equipped with updated technologies — shall compete in the upcoming motorsport series to prove that it can endure the event’s toughest challenges.

In a statement, the firm said that Team Audi Sport further enhanced the RS Q e-tron’s electric drivetrains, high-voltage batteries and energy converters for their participation in the series.

Though cautious, the team’s three driver pairings of Mattias Ekstrom and Emil Bergkvist, Stephane Peterhansel and Edouard Boulanger, and Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz are optimistic about their chances of securing the overall title.

“The Audi RS Q e-tron has already caused quite a stir in its first two Dakar appearances,” Audi Motorsport Head Rolf Michl was quoted as saying.

“Audi was once again a technological pioneer in its outstanding motorsport history. We have initiated a paradigm shift. The combination of an electric drivetrain and a reFuel-powered energy converter is unique and very efficient. We know what we have already achieved,” he added.

Since last year’s Dakar Rally, the aforementioned electrified vehicles have been using residue-based refuel, which cuts down carbon dioxide emissions by around 60 percent.

Further, the Audi RS Q e-trons feature improved comfort and efficiency. Per Audi, numerous aspects of the cockpits were refined, resulting in less noise levels and better protection for the driver and co-driver in terms of hard impacts and extreme loads. Prior to such set-up, the cars' earlier versions focused on its complex drivetrain technology.

According to Audi, the RS Q e-tron’s upgraded electric drivetrains rely on high-voltage batteries that draw power from their respective energy converters. Regulations this year limit the output of the electric drivetrain to 286 kilowatts, distributed between the front and rear axles.

Many other new revisions reduce maintenance times for the team and make the RS Q e-trons safer and more reliable.

The participating Audi RS Q e-trons will continue to compete in the prototype class.

Starting January 5, the 2024 Dakar Rally season will have 12 special stages to be held in a span of 14 days in Saudi Arabia — covering a race distance of 4,727 kilometers. With “transport” stages included (sections between one stage to the next) — the route distance is at 7,891 kilometers.

On average, teams often have to complete more than 400 kilometers a day on the special stages.

To recall, Audi won four stage wins and 14 podiums in the 2022 Dakar Rally season.

Photos from Audi

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