“Electric passion is endless”: Audi factory team bids farewell to Formula E and heads to the Dakar Rally

Bitcar News? August 16, 2021, Berlin, "Thank you Formula E, it's been electrifying!" (Thank you Formula E, it's been electrifying!) - This sentence expresses gratitude to the event organizer and The slogan to greet the fans is written on the Halo structural system of the Audi e-tron FE07 driven by Audi drivers Lucas di Grassi and René Rast. .

The Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler Team ended its Formula E journey with a victory in the first race in Berlin. Julius Seebach, General Manager of Audi Sport GmbH and Head of Motorsport, will lead the Audi "Dream Team" to compete in Dakar in 2022 Seal Rally.

Formula E is the first global electric racing championship. It represents the future development direction of the automobile industry. It mainly promotes and develops around the three cores of energy, environment and entertainment, and can play a role in accelerating the research and development of electric vehicles. . Its first race was held in Beijing on September 13, 2014. Audi was the first German car manufacturer to devote itself to Formula E. Audi driver Lucas di Grassi was the winner of the first Formula E race.

From the first season of the Formula E race in 2014 to the third season, Audi has strengthened its partnership in the form of financial and technical support and increased its investment in Formula E. In the fourth season, Audi officially competed in a high-profile race under the name of the factory team - "Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler" for the first time, becoming the first German automaker to compete in Formula E, showing Audi's forward-looking insights into electrified future travel methods and its aggressiveness. The spirit runs through it all the time.

Returning to the final victory of this season, Lucas di Grassi drove the Audi e-tron FE07 car to win the Mexico Station and Berlin Station of Formula E Season 7 and was crowned champion. This is also the 12th championship title won by the Brazilian driver in Formula E. In addition, teammate René Rast also finished second in the Mexico Grand Prix with an outstanding performance. The German driver scored extra points with 6 fastest laps this season, becoming the most successful Formula in this scoring category so far. E Rookie driver.

Nick Cassidy and Robin Frijns, two drivers of the Audi customer team Envision Virgin Racing, drove the Audi e-tron FE07 and won two fastest laps, three pole positions and five awards this season. Taiwan honor.

In the farewell race of Audi Formula E, Rene Rust started from the pit area and finally finished in ninth place. Lucas di Grassi finished 20th after suffering a drive-through penalty. “In qualifying, I was a tenth of a second slower than super pole position,” said Lucas di Grassi. “Formula E is always very competitive, but this time the intensity is unprecedented.” The Brazilian driver just missed out on pole position and started from 17th place on the grid.

Lucas di Grassi and René Rust completed the seventh season of Formula E in seventh and thirteenth place in the drivers' standings. Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler Racing finished fourth in the constructors' standings. Audi customer team Envision Virgin Racing ranks fifth in the team standings, with drivers Robin Frijns and Nick Cassidy ranking fifth and 15th in the driver standings respectively.

Julius Seebach, General Manager of Audi Sport GmbH and Head of Motorsport, said, “Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler Racing is undoubtedly the most successful team in Formula E and a pioneer in this series of events. Now, we're taking on the toughest event in motorsport - the Dakar Rally.

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Starting from the first race at Beijing’s Bird’s Nest Circuit in 2014, the Formula E race can be said to be one of the fastest growing and largest races at present, with 12 teams participating in the 2020/21 season. Among them, 8 are manufacturer teams, including Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and other car manufacturers have flocked to this event.

The Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler Team has proven in the past seven years. They are the most successful team in Formula E. The team has scored 1,380 points in 84 races, winning 14 times and finishing on the podium 47 times. Lucas di Grassi in 2016/ Winning the driver's championship in the 2017 season. In the 2017/2018 season, the Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler Team competed as a factory team for the first time and won the team's annual championship.

Unlike other racing events, Formula. The E participating teams use the same body, appearance, front suspension, battery, etc. as standard components, while the electric powertrain consisting of the MGU power unit, transmission and rear suspension is freely developed and designed by the registered manufacturer. In other words, all manufacturers will regard the efficiency of the power system as the core research and development goal. This is also the original intention of the Formula E event, using competition to improve the development of electric technology.

In the 2020/21 season, the Audi team The new Audi e-tron FE07 racing car is used. Although the new racing car follows the second-generation racing platform, the powertrain is used by the Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler team and its technical partner Schaeffler*** The continuously optimized new MGU unit developed by the same company - Audi MGU05. This 250-kilowatt electric motor module is independently developed by Audi Sport. It is a set of internal rotors, external magnets, six electrical components and an efficient cooling system. The single-speed electric transmission system is small and compact.

The Audi MGU05 will be equipped in the innovative drive device of the Dakar chariot. The generator module will be configured on the front and rear axles of the vehicle to provide electric power. Four-wheel drive, each generator set weighs less than 35 kilograms, but the power transmission efficiency exceeds 97%, which is close to the ultimate level. The third electric unit will be connected to the high-efficiency TFSI engine to achieve energy conversion and can provide high voltage while the vehicle is driving. Battery charging.

Externally, the Audi RS Q e-tron also differs significantly from the conventionally powered Dakar prototype, said Juan Manuel Di, head of Audi's racing design team. "This car looks very futuristic and has many of the typical Audi design elements," said Juan Manuel Diaz, CEO of Audi. ”

For the complex road conditions in Dakar, although the Audi RS Q e-tron has only one forward gear and no mechanical connection between the front and rear axles, the software developed by Audi takes over the torque distribution between the axles, thereby creating A virtual and freely configurable center differential has the positive side effect of saving the weight and space required for drive shafts and mechanical differentials.

Being the first to participate in a new energy racing car. Dakar's big-name manufacturer, Audi's driver lineup is still strong: Carlos Sainz (two-time WRC champion and three-time Dakar champion, father of F1 driver Sainz Jr.); Stéphane Peterhansel (Dakar The three-car team will be managed by Sven Quandt, who has successfully led the X-Raid team to win the Dakar Rally five times. p>

Summary: Through the accumulation of Formula E in the past 7 seasons, Audi has achieved a system efficiency of more than 97% in the electric formula, and has explored the development potential of electrified components. When it comes to the complex Dakar, it is not only Further research and development on batteries and energy management will accumulate valuable experience for future electrified product models.