The Audi RS 3 is no slouch of a sport sedan, but Schaeffler Group has given the car an electrified shot in the arm. The firm yanked out the original 2.5-liter turbocharged 5-cylinder engine and fitted four Formula E-sourced electric motors. The end result? 1,180 horsepower.
Schaeffler Group created what it calls the Schaeffler 4ePerformance concept vehicle based on a regular Audi RS 3. The concept's goal is to show how quickly Formula E technology can translate to road-going vehicles. In this case, it's only been a few years. The firm is also a major sponsor of the Audi Sport ABT Formula E team.
The four Formula E electric motors each produce roughly 295 hp each to bring the grand power total to 1,180 hp. The motors actually come directly from the Abt Schaeffler FE01 Formula E racing car, which the company ran during the motorsport series' second season.
Specifically, Schaeffler created the concept to exercise what it's learned from its time in Formula E and apply the benefits to a mass-production vehicle. Various divisions of Schaeffler worked to bring the 4ePerformance concept to life including its E-Mobility division.
As for the car's other performance specs, the 4ePerformance concept will go from 0-124 mph in 7 seconds and all four motors are individually connected to a wheel. A spur gear unit connects each motor to one of the wheels while two motors share one gearbox housing and thereby form an electric twin axle. The architecture enables selective drive torque to individual wheels, also better known as torque vectoring.
While the company has no plans to produce a 1,000-plus hp electric car, it does envision the 4ePerformance concept as a stepping stone to a future business model. One day, Schaeffler could provide the running gear for future electric performance cars.
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