IN CONJUNCTION with Audi’s announcement final week that it’s going to begin to constructing F1 engines comes a dedication from them to proceed in different types of motorsport together with worldwide desert rally ‘raids’ just like the Dakar.
The German car-maker has turned its again on LeMans fashion sports activities automobile racing to release assets for the F1 effort and to pay attention extra on desert rally raids. As such, they’ve redeveloped the profitable RS Q e-tron E2 making it lighter, extra aerodynamic and extra environment friendly.
That is the second evolution of the automobile that received the latest desert rally in Abu Dhabi and is ready to compete for the primary time subsequent month on the 2022 Morocco Rally then within the 2023 Dakar Rally.
It’s a quick turn-around for the German race outfit that makes use of the desert rally program to wonderful tune new applied sciences that may be finally applied on mainstream Audi passenger automobiles. The modern second evolution prototype presents itself as considerably improved for the Morocco Dakar Rallies.
Technicians and engineers began on the floor and labored upwards on the second-generation prototype conjuring a totally new physique that options considerably enhanced aerodynamics. It helps transfer the car’s weight decrease for a decrease centre of gravity and dealing with enhancements there from.
New working methods additional enhance the effectivity of the electrical drivetrain.
Within the inside and when altering wheels, the motive force and co-driver profit from simpler operation. These adjustments carry with them the E2 nomenclature hooked up to the second evolution automobile. Audi says the identify channels the legendary Audi Sport quattro in its remaining growth stage for Group B rallying within the Nineteen Eighties.
“We’ve managed a superb debut on the Dakar earlier this yr with the Audi RS Q e-tron and even managed first stage victories in a motorsport self-discipline that’s new to us,” stated Audi Sport GmbH motorsport managing director Rolf Michl.
“Your complete staff is working brilliantly collectively and pulling in the identical path. As is common at such an early stage, the drivers, co-drivers and technicians shortly agreed on the subsequent growth targets. Now we have summarised the end in a brand new evolution package deal – the RS Q e-tron E2.”
This marks the start of the second part of Audi’s growth program in desert rally automobiles which begins preparation for the 2023 Dakar Rally in October after the brand new prototype has a run in Morocco.
“The Audi RS Q e-tron E2 doesn’t undertake a single physique half from its predecessor,” stated Audi Sport GmbH chief designer Axel Löffler.
To adjust to the prescribed inside dimensions, the cockpit, which was beforehand narrowly recessed in the direction of the roof, is now considerably wider. The entrance and rear covers have additionally been redesigned.
“We at the moment are eliminating the underflow of the rear bonnet to the left and proper of the B-pillars. Along side modified lay-ups, like optimised cloth layers of the composite supplies, this resolution reduces weight,” stated Mr Löffler.
The so-called T1U prototypes must weigh 2100 as an alternative of 2000kg sooner or later. On condition that the primary technology of the RS Q e-tron was obese, it was nonetheless mandatory to save lots of a number of dozen kilograms. That is accompanied by the reducing of the car’s centre of gravity.
The aerodynamic space of the physique beneath the entrance and rear covers is totally new. Its widest level is on the top of the cockpit whereas the physique tapers considerably in the direction of the entrance and the rear. Audi has now allotted with the a part of the guards that was behind the entrance wheels and fashioned the transition to the door.
Internally, this construction was known as the elephant foot. In consequence, the designers saved extra weight and optimized the air circulation.
“The aerodynamic side shouldn’t be underestimated in desert rallying both,” defined Mr Löffler.
The brand new cockpit dimensions imply that the physique has a bigger and due to this fact much less beneficial cross-section. Nonetheless, it was attainable to scale back the general aerodynamic drag by round 15 per cent. This doesn’t change the highest velocity. It stays restricted to 170km/h within the rules.
The improved air circulation presents one main benefit.
“It additional reduces the power necessities of the electrically powered automobile,” stated Mr Löffler.
“We applied the aerodynamic calculations completely utilizing computational fluid dynamics (CFD).”
These pc simulations change the time-consuming work within the wind tunnel and nonetheless ship exact outcomes.
The E2’s electrical drivetrain contains an power converter consisting of an inside combustion engine and a generator, in addition to a high-voltage battery and two electrical motors on the entrance and rear axles.
Vitality administration performs a vital position right here. The digital management system of the advanced electrical drivetrain proved its price within the first rally occasions. Challenges solely arose in excessive instances. On the 2022 Dakar Rally, for instance, Audi famous short-term surpluses of energy in conditions the place the wheels made much less contact with the bottom whereas leaping or on uneven terrain.
The officers of the FIA, the world vehicle federation, intervene at a threshold of two kilojoules of extra power and impose sporting penalties.
“By means of comparability, multiple hundred occasions the quantity of power flows to the motors per second throughout the permissible limits,” stated Audi Sport GmbH growth engineer for embedded software program, utility and take a look at bench Florian Semlinger.
“We may have made it simple on ourselves and set our threshold a number of kilowatts decrease, however that may have meant efficiency disadvantages. As an alternative, we put numerous fine-tuning into the facility controllers.”
Two particular person limits – one for every motor – at the moment are recalculated by the software program inside milliseconds. In consequence, it operates exactly alongside the permissible restrict.
The so-called auxiliary customers additionally profit from optimised management. The servo pump, the air-conditioning cooling pump and the followers have a measurable influence on the power steadiness. Throughout the debut season in 2022, the Audi and Q Motorsport rally staff gained beneficial expertise that allows higher evaluation.
The air-conditioning system for instance works so aggressively that it may trigger the coolant to freeze when always working at its most output. Sooner or later, the system will run in an intermittent mode. This protects power, but the inside temperatures solely fluctuate barely, even over longer durations.
The working technique for the followers and the servo pump has additionally been optimized. The techniques can now be regulated in a different way for the decrease masses on the liaison levels than on the particular levels.
Audi desert rally drivers Mattias Ekström and Emil Bergkvist, Stéphane Peterhansel and Edouard Boulanger, and Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz can sit up for their new workplaces. The shows are nonetheless within the driver’s area of view and positioned within the centre console within the traditional fashion, and the central change panel with its 24 fields has additionally been retained.
Nonetheless, engineers have restructured the shows and controls.
“The totality of all of the features shortly creates confusion,” stated Mr Semlinger.
“That is why, for the primary time, the motive force and co-driver can now choose from 4 system areas utilizing a rotary change.”
The Stage theme comprises all of the features which might be necessary whereas driving competitively – such because the velocity limiter in sections with velocity limits or the air jack. The Street half comprises flip alerts and the rear-view digital camera, features which might be typically in demand on the liaison levels. The Error choice is used to detect, categorise and catalogue errors. The Settings part consists of all the things that’s helpful for the engineering staff throughout testing or after the automobile arrives on the bivouac.
Crews can now work way more simply after a puncture. Easy, flat and simply detachable physique elements change the earlier cumbersome covers for the spare wheels within the flanks. The brand new ten-spoke rims from companion Rotiform are a lot simpler to deal with. Drivers and co-drivers can grip them extra simply and full the change extra safely.
“Now we have mixed all of the necessary classes in a really quick time. The results of our concepts is the E2 evolution,” stated Audi Sport GmbH head of auto operations Uwe Breuling.
“Our growth staff’s decided and cost-efficient work has ready us completely for our second Dakar Rally.”
