Audi RS Q e-tron
Audi's electric rally raid contender, winner of the 2024 Dakar Rally.
The Audi RS Q e-tron is a battery-electric off-road racer developed by Audi under its e-tron sub-brand. First shown in 2021, it was built specifically for rally raid competition. A revised version, the RS Q e-tron E2, appeared in 2022. A further updated variant went on to win the 2024 Dakar Rally.
The project was first hinted at in December 2020, when Audi announced Q Motorsport as its factory team. The 2022 Dakar model used two electric motors from Audi’s Formula E program—one per axle—delivering a combined output below 288 kW. Its energy converter could charge at up to 220 kW, and it carried a TFSI engine rated at roughly 200 kW. Drivers found the car brutal to handle due to its sharp electric acceleration and rigid seats. Stéphane Peterhansel compared driving it in the 2023 Dakar to “a boxing match from start to finish,” raising concerns about concussion risks for crews.
Audi announced its Dakar Rally entry on 30 November 2020, and on 11 December confirmed Q Motorsport as its factory team. Three crews—Carlos Sainz with Lucas Cruz, Stéphane Peterhansel with Edouard Boulanger, and Mattias Ekström with Emil Bergkvist—were selected to drive. The RS Q e-tron was unveiled on 23 July 2021. At its 2022 Dakar debut, the car was fast but all three crews lost hours to navigation errors on the first day, and mechanical issues plagued the event. Despite this, each driver won a stage, and Sainz’s victory on SS11 gave the car four stage wins in its first rally.
At the 2022 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, Peterhansel and Boulanger secured the RS Q e-tron’s first overall win—and the first victory for an electric vehicle in a rally raid. At the 2024 Dakar Rally, Carlos Sainz drove the car to its maiden Dakar win, aided by new technical director Dr. Pascali Leonardo, who called the victory “the best professional experience of my life.”
Quick Facts
- Category
- Rally raid
- Team
- GER Audi
- Drivers
- FRA Stéphane Peterhansel, / CHE Edouard Boulanger · ESP Carlos Sainz, / ESP Lucas Cruz · SWE Mattias Ekström, SWE Emil Bergkvist
- First Win
- 2022 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge
- Last Win
- 2024 Dakar Rally
- Entries
- 4
- Wins
- 2
- Engine Name
- Audi RC8 TFSI I4 (turbo petrol; generator only)
- Transmission Type
- One single-speed racing gearbox per axle with
- Differential
- limited-slip differential (software-based), virtual center differential with freely selectable torque distribution on front and rear axle
- Battery
- 52 kWh lithium-ion cells High Voltage Battery System (HVBS)
- Length
- 4500 mm
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The RS Q e-tron was first mentioned as an unnamed prototype during the 11 December 2020 announcement that Q Motorsport would become Audi's factory team. Three crews were selected to drive the car: Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz, Stéphane Peterhansel and Edouard Boulanger, and Mattias Ekström and Emil Bergkvist. The car was unveiled on 23 July 2021 as an off-road racer intended for the 2022 Dakar Rally. At that rally, the car proved quick but all three crews suffered navigation errors on the first day, losing hours, and also encountered many mechanical issues. Nonetheless, each driver won a stage, with Sainz winning SS11, giving the car four stage wins on its debut. At the 2022 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, Peterhansel and Boulanger gave the RS Q e-tron its first win, also the first win for an electric vehicle in a rally raid. The car is described as brutal to drive due to the sharp acceleration of its electric engine and the rigidity of its seats; Peterhansel likened driving it during the 2023 Dakar Rally to 'a boxing match from start to finish', raising fear of concussion for crews.
Reader's Guide
The Audi RS Q e-tron represents a significant shift in rally raid competition as the first electric vehicle to win a major event in the discipline, taking the 2022 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. Its most notable achievement came at the 2024 Dakar Rally, where Carlos Sainz secured the car's first Dakar win, aided by new technical director Dr. Pascali Leonardo, who described the victory as the 'best professional experience of my life.' The car's powertrain combines two electric motors from Audi's Formula E program—one on each axle, delivering under 288 kW combined—with a TFSI engine rated at approximately 200 kW serving as an energy converter with a maximum charging power of 220 kW. The driving experience is notably harsh, with the electric motor's sharp acceleration and rigid seats creating a physically demanding ride. The car's development began with the 2020 announcement of Audi's intent to compete in the Dakar Rally, and the RS Q e-tron E2 upgrade arrived in 2022. Despite early mechanical issues and navigation errors at its Dakar debut, the car demonstrated competitive pace by winning multiple stages, and its eventual Dakar victory in 2024 cemented its place in rally raid history.
Did You Know?
- Stéphane Peterhansel described driving the car as 'a boxing match from start to finish' during the 2023 Dakar Rally.
- The car won the 2022 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, the first win for an electric vehicle in a rally raid.
- Carlos Sainz drove the RS Q e-tron to its first Dakar Rally win in 2024.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Audi RS Q e-tron?
It is a battery-electric off-road racing car that Audi developed under its e-tron sub-brand specifically for rally raid competition. The project was first teased in late 2020 when Audi confirmed its factory Q Motorsport team, and the car itself was unveiled to the public in 2021.
How much power does the Audi RS Q e-tron produce?
The 2022 Dakar specification draws on two electric motors sourced from Audi's Formula E programme, one driving each axle, for a combined output that stays under 288 kW. A TFSI engine of roughly 200 kW also feeds the system, and the on-board energy converter can accept charge at up to 220 kW.
What is the Audi RS Q e-tron E2?
The E2 is the updated, second-generation iteration of the car that Audi brought to the 2022 Dakar Rally. It carried refinements over the 2021 debut model and helped the team secure its first outright victory at the 2022 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.
Did the Audi RS Q e-tron win the Dakar Rally?
Yes — a further updated variant of the RS Q e-tron took the overall victory at the 2024 Dakar Rally. That result marked a landmark moment, as it was one of the first times an electric-powered machine had claimed the top spot in that grueling event.
Why does the Audi RS Q e-tron matter to rally fans?
It proved that a fully battery-electric drivetrain can compete at the highest level of off-road rally raid, a discipline that had long been the domain of combustion engines. For Audi, it also served as a real-world proving ground for the electrification technologies feeding its broader e-tron road-car lineup.
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