Audi E-tron S: One Motor Per Rear Wheel

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Audi E-tron S: One Motor Per Rear Wheel
Audi E-tron S: One Motor Per Rear Wheel

Video: Audi E-tron S: One Motor Per Rear Wheel

Video: Audi E-tron S: One Motor Per Rear Wheel
Video: How It Works Audi e-tron S - Drivetrain Construction, Twin Motor & Coolant Circuit Explained 2024, March
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The Audi e-tron S is the new top electric model from the VW subsidiary. It has three motors, two of which drive a rear wheel each.

The aprons at both ends are still dyed dustman orange, as are the side sills. The masquerade is completed by geometric silver shapes on the otherwise dark gray paintwork. Nevertheless, there is nothing mysterious about it.

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The long-legged prototype is clearly recognizable as the Audi e-tron electric SUV, the Sportback variant with the sloping rear. The really new thing is well hidden under the sheet metal. This is where the first electric Audi curves around and, thanks to its new technology, drives like a classic Quattro.

With Blomqvist over the practice route

Stig Blomqvist will be 74 years old in July, no helmet is hiding the silver-gray fringe of hair, he sits relaxed at the wheel and has a watchful eye on the digital displays. He romps on a rain-soaked practice course in Neuburg near Ingolstadt, on which Audi instructs otherwise well-to-do customers how to properly use their fast cars. 1984 the Swede became world rally champion. On an Audi Quattro, of course. Today, with a grin, he says between two tight bends “If I had had a car like that back then, all the competitors would have had no chance”.

The Audi e-tron is of course not comparable to the cult mobile of the time, even if it already had sophisticated all-wheel drive technology on board. Permanent all-wheel drive, middle and rear differential locks against the uninhibited spinning of the wheels on slippery ground or in curves. Four-wheel drive was once only found in off-road vehicles. Since 1971, thanks to Subaru, then also in sedans and coupés, from 1980 Audi introduced him to the Quattro.

Rear engine moves forward

And what does all of this have to do with an electric e-tron? Sure, of course it also has all-wheel drive. He does not need a differential lock like his ancestor, and no complex mechanics like a cardan shaft in the basement. But he has three electric motors on board.

The rear engine in the normal Audi e-tron 55 with up to 204 hp changes to the front axle in the new top model. The front engine of the "55" moves to the rear, but in duplicate. Both rear engines together come to 267 hp. In total, the three power sources send up to 370 kW / 503 hp to the wheels in a well-measured manner. The pulling power reaches 973 Newton meters. In addition, the newcomer can spurt to 100 km / h in 4.5 seconds and reach 210 km / h before it is regulated.

Understeer or oversteer is minimized

The highlight: Each of the two rear motors is responsible for one rear wheel. With this, the "torque vectoring" already known from mostly sporty cars with combustion engines has arrived in the electric age. The term stands for the targeted distribution of power to the drive wheels depending on the current left-right movement of the car, the so-called "yaw angle". In contrast to the classic differential lock, undesirable properties such as understeer or oversteer are minimized.

The difference to the ESP built into almost all modern cars today lies in the reverse workflow. If the anti-skid system automatically brakes a spinning wheel, torque vectoring even increases the drive force of the wheel in question if necessary. Only when it becomes critical because of the limits of physics does the ESP take full control again. The greatest advantages of the overall package are higher cornering speeds, fewer movements on the steering wheel and better progress off the beaten track.

Fast calculations included

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The person behind the wheel does not notice anything from the hustle and bustle of his electronic flight engineer. The central computer can think and act faster anyway, as it completes its tasks every millisecond. Technology now takes just a quarter of the time that mechanical systems need. In the Audi e-tron S, there is also the fact that the inner front wheel is gently braked if necessary in corners that are approached too quickly. The result: Spinning is prevented, the noble Stromer remains steerable and can pull itself out of the bend without sliding.

It all sounds futuristic and too complicated for a normal driver to understand. But who can explain how the voice of a distant conversation partner comes into a smartphone or how a WhatsApp message whizzes from Rosenheim to Yokohama in a fraction of a second.

It's the same in the new Audi: Regardless of what is going on in his electronic command post, the driver can simply accelerate. Like on the Audi playground with its modeled racetrack. A brisk slalom around tightly placed plastic cones provides the first evidence. The big chunk slides through the alley in the style of a go-kart. No wild cranking of the steering wheel, the on-board computer accepts the commands without complaint, distributes precisely the right amount of power to each wheel in order to be able to approach the next slalom goal as quickly and above all stably as possible.

Limits of physics

The next example is a fast lap on the racetrack: feels way too fast into the bend, but the Audi does not push the front wheels offside, nor does the rear break away, the system even helps to straighten the car at the end of the bend put. However, the too bold boss behind the steering wheel has to accept a significant jolt in the seat, because somehow the cross energy has to be dissipated. Of course, all of this only works within the limits of physics. Anyone who drives into a curve at 180 km / h that can withstand a maximum of 90 km / h will also be thrown out in an e-tron S.

The newcomer can be recognized by the type plate with the additional "S" on its wider wheel arches, the more pronounced bumpers or the car-wide diffuser at the rear. Audi has not yet disclosed the exact technical data such as power consumption and range. Because of the third motor, the hunger for electricity is likely to be higher, and the possible range will decrease depending on the driving style. At the moment it is still being kept secret what the electric high-flyer with its three hearts and all the technology will cost. A “normal” e-tron 55 Sportback with two engines costs around 85,000 euros. So the memorized "S" could well have an eye on the 100,000 euro limit. Many additional extras can be ordered such as digital matrix LED headlights, a charging system,that can withstand up to 400 volts three-phase current or the cameras instead of the classic exterior mirrors.

The premiere of the Audi e-tron S is at the Geneva Motor Show, and the market launch will probably take place in early summer. (SP-X)

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