With 395 horsepower in a compact form, the Audi RS3 is no slouch. The RS3 LMS racer had to be detuned a little for racing to 350 hp. But this one packs over a thousand. Called the 4ePerformance concept, it's the work of Schaeffler Technologies – one of Audi's racing partners that sponsors its Formula E and DTM teams. But as closely related as it ostensibly is to the RS3 LMS touring car, it's not made to race. Instead it's a technological showpiece.
The concept integrates four of the electric motors that Audi and Schaeffler use in the battery-powered single-seat racing series. Like the ones that powered Lucas di Grassi to the 2016/17 Formula E world championship.
All told, it packs 880 kW, or 1,200 metric horsepower. The only performance stat the company released is a 0-200 km/h (124 mph) sprint that it'll cover in under seven seconds. That puts it on about the same level as the Ferrari 488 Pista, which runs to 62 in the two-second range. The electric motors are connected directly to the wheels, with a gearbox at each axle. That gives it individual torque vectoring for each wheel for superior control, backed up by a 64 kWh battery. It's an impressive piece of kit, to be sure. Shame it stands little chance of ever being put into production – for either road or track. But it just goes to show what's possible in the burgeoning field of electric propulsion.
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