Finally, after three grueling attempts, Audi has won the 2024 Dakar Rally with the RS Q e-tron, thanks to the Spanish pair of driver Carlos Sainz and navigator Lucas Cruz. This also marks the very first time that a vehicle with an electric drivetrain has won the event, specifically a low-emission prototype with an electric drive, a high-voltage battery, and an energy converter.
As you may know, this otherworldly off-roader features a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine (from an Audi DTM racecar) acting as a generator for the battery pack that supplies power to the electric motors driving each wheel (in a similar fashion to the new Ram 1500 Ramcharger). Total system output is as high as 670 horsepower, but sheer grunt is not what made the difference.
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