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Audi e-tron Prototype Drifting in the Kalahari Desert in New Photo Gallery

The Audi e-tron SUV was unveiled to the public back in September in the U.S., and earlier this month the production version was on display in Europe, at the Paris Motor Show.
Audi e-tron SUV in the desert 59 photos
Photo: Audi
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But despite the production version going official, Audi continues to release new details on the car, accompanied with photos of the camouflaged prototype version.

And we’re not sorry this happens, as truth be told we find the masked prototype to look a lot more appealing than the dull-colored models shown in San Francisco and Paris. Especially because the prototype version is not stationary, but keeps doing stuff.

This week, Audi decided to show the e-tron in the sands of Namibia, on a dried-out salt lake on the edge of the Kalahari Desert or through the savanna, where it was sent to test its new quattro drive.

The system being tested at the time of this adventure, the electric all-wheel drive, is supposed to be much faster than conventional quattro technology, simply because it lacks a mechanical clutch, working simply by distributing electricity.

For instance, if understeer is detected, the system instantly compensates by braking, while wheel slip is controlled directly at the power electronics of the electric motors, 50 times faster than in regular quattro technology.

As for performances, the e-tron is powered by a 95 kW battery mounted low and in a central position and two electric motors that develop 355 hp and 561 Nm (413.8 lb-ft) of torque.

The total range of the e-tron is 248 miles (400 km), with the recuperation system deployed on the car lending a helping hand.

Audi says it is the world’s first carmaker to use in a production vehicle motors and the electrohydraulic brake control system to regenerate energy.

The e-tron SUV is already under production at the Audi facility in Brussels, Belgium. The car will sell in Europe for 79,900 EUR.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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