When E-mobility is beginning to make its mark in the urban lanes and the racetrack, an all-electric Audi leaps from the virtual races onto being a race taxi on the Formula E tracks.
Last Saturday, when a race taxi showed up at the Formula E race in Rome, it was transformation time for the Audi e-tron Vision Gran Turismo. Originally developed for virtual races on PlayStation 4, the fully electric concept car is now turning electric mobility into a tangible experience for people.
“E-Mobility is rapidly gaining importance,” says Peter Mertens, Member of the Board of Management, Technical Development, AUDI AG. “That is why in 2017 Audi was the first German manufacturer to enter Formula E with a factory-backed commitment. In our development laboratory motorsport, we are continuously expanding our expertise in e-mobility and gathering valuable experience also in extremely demanding conditions.”
Audi’s customers and guests will be able to experience Formula E’s city circuits as passengers in the Audi e-tron Vision Gran Turismo. Employees at Audi’s pre-production center transformed the Audi e-tron Vision Gran Turismo from the highly popular “Gran Turismo” PlayStation game within just eleven months. Audi has been working together with Sony and Polyphony Digital – the creators of “Gran Turismo” – for nearly 20 years, and was one of the many automakers that designed a racing concept for the “Vision Gran Turismo” contest held to mark the popular game’s 15th anniversary. Many of them have been built as models ever since but this is the first time one is deployed on real-world use.
“This is what we are particularly proud of,” says Audi’s chief designer Marc Lichte. “Although the design of a virtual vehicle allows much greater freedom and the creation of concepts which are hard to implement in reality, we did not want to put a purely fictitious concept on wheels. Our aim was a fully functional car.” Audi has deliberately included design cues and the color of the Audi 90 quattro IMSA GTO of the 1989 North American IMSA-GTO racing series fame.
The Audi e-tron Vision Gran Turismo has the fully electric e-tron quattro all-wheel drive with variable power distribution. Out of three electric motors, each of 200 kW output, two drive the rear axle and the third one the front axle. With a system output of 600 kW (815 hp) and a curb weight of 1,450 kilograms, the ‘vision’ has a power to weight ratio of 1.78 kilograms per horsepower with a 50:50 weight distribution between the axles. Keeping with the new electric wave, the Audi e-tron Vision Gran Turismo accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in less than 2.5 seconds.
Audi e-tron Vision Gran Turismo, GT Sport
Watch out for the race taxi at all European Formula E races and other upcoming events, piloted by former DTM driver Rahel Frey from Switzerland or Le Mans winner Dindo Capello from Italy.
