On PistonHeads at least, Formula E has not garnered a great deal of affection - blame the lack of noise, the rather anodyne circuits and the relatively slow pace for that. However, what if there was a car that used not one, but four Formula E motors? And it was a road car? It's a little more interesting now...
The Schaeffler 4ePerformance is described by its maker - the 2016/17 Formula E champions, no less - as a "good example of how technology is transferred from racing to a close-to-volume production drive concept." The reality is more exciting than that sounds though, because this A3 saloon has 1,200hp...
Furthermore, the motors are said to be directly derived from those used in Lucas di Grassi's Abt Schaeffler FE01 championship winning car. With double the peak power of an M5, this concept is capable of 0-124mph in less than seven seconds. Each motor is connected to a wheel via a spur gear unit; with an electric twin axle in addition, it means that genuine torque vectoring is possible. Schaeffler is currently working on a drive control system for the concept as, in the words of Simon Opel, Director of Motorsport Special Projects, "this vehicle is a test laboratory on wheel thanks to its free scaling options for the driver power." Which is exactly what we would have said. A rear-wheel drive one could be a giggle...
The serious point behind this car is to demonstrate that Schaeffler has expertise applicable to both road and race vehicles, this concept showing what happens when the two are combined. The 4ePerformance is described in the press material as a car that "could be a supplement to volume-production drive concepts for electric high-performance sports cars." Given the engine is a significant part of the RS3's appeal, perhaps that isn't the best example. But in terms of showing how quickly motorsport tech can (almost) reach the road, and what spectacular performance you can get from electricity, the Schaeffler has considerable appeal. We look forward to seeing what they can conjure up next...
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