Schaeffler Shows Close-to-Production Drive Concept from Formula E

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Under the bodywork of an Audi A3 saloon modified by ABT Sportsline is a purely electric powertrain with Formula E technology. The idea for this project came from the Formula E racing driver Lucas di Grassi and Professor Peter Gutzmer, Chief Technology Officer at Schaeffler. Schaeffler Motorsport, the division E-Mobility alongside the subsidiary companies Schaeffler Engineering and Compact Dynamics have integrated four Formula E motors with an overall performance of 880 kilowatts (1,200 hp) into the concept car. 

With the four motors from the Formula E racing car ABT Schaeffler FE01, the Schaeffler 4ePerformance accelerates from 0 to 200 km/h in 7 seconds. The energy is delivered by two batteries with a total capacity of 64 kilowatt-hours. Each motor is directly connected to a wheel via a spur gear. Each of the two pairs of motors shares a gearbox and thus forms an electrical "twin axis" that accomplishes torque vectoring. "We are currently testing and developing our own driving dynamics control system, which is based on physical vehicle and wheel modelling. We have been learning a lot especially in the area of software-based driving dynamics control systems", said Simon Opel, Director Special Projects Motorsports at Schaeffler.