Audi RS Q e-tron undergoes further testing in Morocco

Audi has put its RS Q e-tron Dakar vehicle through a series of further tests in Morocco.

The three driver teams moved the prototype with chassis number 103 a total of more than 2,500km through the toughest terrain, in preparation for the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia. Peterhansel, Ekstrom and Carlos Sainz worked intensively on the chassis setup of the vehicle throughout this round of testing.

The tests even included imposing the drivetrain to artificially high temperatures, with Stephane Peterhansel moving the desert racer through a dry riverbed with the cooling air intakes deliberately taped off to simulate high outside temperatures. An ordeal that the prototype with its electric drive with energy converter completed without complaint.

The Audi RS Q e-tron, however, was not as lucky in the rest of the tests, with the vehicle taking tyre damage on the rocky tracks forcing Mattias Ekstrom, to make repeated interruptions. A suspension wishbone was also bent by a rock, and leaking drive shaft sleeve and other components required replacement, and the bodywork needed minor repairs.