e-tron – Page 2 – Pulpaddict

Flood Damaged Audi e-tron Brought Back to Life After It Was Submerged in Rice

The ages-old rice trick doesn’t just work for smartphones, apparently – it also helped get this flooded Audi e-tron running again.

For many years now, an old wive’s tale has existed that suggests submerging a flooded electronic device – such as a smartphone – in rice will help suck the moisture out of it and make it good as new again. There are many that will tell you that this isn’t true, but also instances where it has worked, with some even saying that the dust from the rice can do more damage than good. Regardless, that didn’t stop YouTuber Rich Benoit of Rich Rebuilds fame from trying this ages-old trick on an entire car – a flood damaged Audi e-tron, to be specific.

Benoit purchased his Audi e-tron from a Copart auction just a few weeks ago with grand plans of restoring it back to new, a tall task – even for someone that’s already done precisely the same with with a flooded Tesla Model S (which he daily drove for years) and a Model X. But ripping those cars apart and spending countless hours bringing them back to life was one heck of a chore. And thus, Benoit figured, perhaps submerging the e-tron in 4.200 pounds of rice might actually speed up this process.

While some would wonder why anyone would buy such a heavily damaged vehicle in the first place, well, it’s all about value. Benoit paid a mere $56,000 for this 2,600-mile “gem,” which is roughly half its original MSRP of $110k. What he got, however, was a total wreck – a car that isn’t running or driving, and features water stains everywhere, along with a heaping helping of salt from the ocean waters that once filled every crack and crevice following a hurricane.

Once Benoit and his crew managed to get the e-tron powered up, it lit up like a literal Christmas tree, with the most concerning faults related to the car’s high-voltage battery system and pretty much everything else that makes it tick. Thus, before Benoit set out to spend a ton of money and replace all of these faulty components – or, at the very least, clean them up – he figured why not capture the attention of the internet and try the old fashioned rice trick?

Benoit and his team built a giant box to park the Audi in, wrapped it in a tarp, dumped rice on top of it, and waited for a few days to see what might happen. When some time had passed, they had to vacuum all of that rice out, but the results of all that work were simply amazing – the car actually ran and drove after the rice was removed, albeit with many fault codes still flashing on the gauge cluster. Regardless, it’s a pretty incredible result, and one that we would have never imagined could work on an entire car – not that we’re about to try and replicate this little science experiment ourselves.

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Audi Designer Hints at a Defender, G-Wagen Fighter

Audi RS Q e-tron E2

A new interview with Design Chief Marc Lichte indicates that Audi’s Dakar adventures are about more than playing in the sand.

In my recent post about a possible all-electric R8 replacement, I wrote that while a new supercar would be great, I’d really like to see a rugged 4×4 offering. Well, as it turns out, I might have a few allies in Ingolstadt. Because in a new interview with our friends over at Autocar, Head of Audi Design Marc Lichte revealed that the company is looking to develop a competitor for the wildly popular Land Rover Defender and Mercedes-Benz G-Class. Here are a couple of the most relevant bits from that conversation:

There is potential because there are only two premium players in this particular segment, and I think there is a space for a third one.

If you think about the history of Audi – the rallying success in the ’80s with the Quattro and Sport Quattro – it’s easy to explain why Audi needs a car like this. And if we talk about Quattro 2.0, it matches even more.

So maybe all the time and treasure spent in Dakar wasn’t just about playing in the sand after all. At this point, the brass hasn’t officially given the green light to the project, meaning the idea might very well go nowhere. But given the exploding popularity of the hardcore off-road segment, it’s hard to see how getting into the game could be anything but a good move for the Four Rings. Plus, an all-electric drivetrain would be an easy way to distinguish the Audi from the Rover and Benz.

In a telling move, the Volkswagen Group bought the rights to International Harvester’s venerated Scout nameplate back in 2017, and two Scout-branded electric 4×4 models are currently in development. So it’s not too difficult to imagine that there could be some inter-umbrella platform sharing, similar to what we’ve seen with the Porsche Taycan and the e-tron GT. That said, it would also make sense to give Audi a little more freedom to boost performance, as the Scout marque is slated to be more utilitarian in both design and price.

According to the Autocar article, the Scout subdivision is expected to produce as many as 100,000 vehicles per year, and it’s speculated that an additional 50,000 Audi-branded units would also be built on the lines. While there’s no timeframe for an Audi-branded off-road bruiser to arrive at dealers, the smart money says we’ll be looking at sometime around 2027. Of course, there’s no telling what the future holds, and ongoing delays to Audi’s new electric flagship could make a new product line seem like overreach. But the prospect of a burly Audi 4×4 looks strong — so stay tuned.

Image Source: Audi

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Audi e-tron GT Quattro and RS 3 Face Off in Fascinating Drag Race

The battle between the new-school Audi e-tron GT and the iconic 5-cylinder turbo RS 3 is far closer than one might expect.

Audi – like many automotive brands – is in the midst of a major transformation from the traditional world of ICE-powered vehicles to all-electric ones. The days of gas-powered machines like the amazing new RS 3 are quickly – and sadly – coming to an end, which means that we have precious little time left to enjoy them. On the flip side, Audi’s newest EV models are also pretty darn impressive, particularly in terms of performance, offering up plenty of thrills, albeit without any sort of glorious engine sounds. However, when Car recently lined up the new Audi e-tron GT Quattro against an RS 3, the results were a bit more interesting than one might expect.

To be more specific, the concept-car-like Audi e-tron GT Quattro is no slouch in terms of its straight-line performance, with (up to) 522 horsepower coming from its dual electric motors – good enough to propel it to 60 mph in less than 3.9 seconds. As we’ve seen in the past, performance-focused EVs tend to make superior drag racers thanks to their instant torque, and that’s certainly the case with this stunning sedan.

As good as the new Audi e-tron GT is, however, we can’t forget about the equally amazing RS 3. The sporty sedan is powered by a turbocharged 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine that cranks out 401 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque, sending that juice to all four wheels, just like its electrified counterpart. Thanks to a quick-shifting dual-clutch gearbox, the RS 3 rockets to 60 mph in around 3.3 seconds – just a bit behind the e-tron GT.

As such, this matchup looks pretty darn good on paper, though only a real-world test such as this truly tells the tale of how these two performance machines compare. As expected, the e-tron GT gets off the line a bit quicker than the RS 3, but the ICE sedan manages to hang with it after that. The two machines pretty much stay there the rest of the way down the quarter-mile, with the e-tron GT crossing the line in 11.6 seconds versus the RS 3’s 11.9-second pass. (Now imagine this race with the RS e-tron GT!)

While these are obviously two very different types of cars, it’s worth noting that the RS 3 is far cheaper – with a starting price that’s less than half of what it costs to get behind the wheel of a new e-tron GT. Given how close the two are in terms of performance, that makes it a rather compelling option for those that aren’t quite ready to take the all-electric plunge.

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Audi Sport: R8 Successor is ‘Biggest Wish,’ Performance Plug-in Hybrids Are Coming

Audi R8 Coupé V10 GT RWD

Audi engineers really want to build an R8 successor, but before that, we’re bound to see some performance plug-in hybrids.

At the moment, Audi has just begun pivoting to its all-electric future, which means legendary models like the R8 — and its glorious V10 — are headed into the sunset. Fortunately, the internal-combustion party isn’t over just yet. There are still faster versions of the RS6 Avant on the way, and in a new interview with our friends at Autocar, Audi Sport managing director Sebastian Grams says enthusiasts have a lot to look forward to, including why building an R8 successor is his “biggest wish.”

In the piece, he touches on loads of interesting points, from how important noise is to enthusiasts, to Formula 1 cost caps, to the possibility of an electric TT. But here’s what really jumped out from Ingolstadt’s performance wing:

We are going in the direction of performance plug-in hybrid systems. This is what we are going for and I can tell you, this will be no less amazing than what you’re driving today. I personally believe that you will also have more opportunities to design the driving performance to be even cooler for the customer.

Now obviously, I love the idea of a cooler driving experience, just like every enthusiast with a pulse. And to be brutally honest? My experience with electric performance cars has demonstrated that when you have wicked instant thrust, even things like the lack of a manual transmission and a wicked engine note can be forgiven. So I’d be happy to skip the whole plug-in hybrid step and go straight to weapons-grade green machines.

Where Should Audi Performance Go Next? (AudiWorld’s Take)

While the interview with Grams was informative, there wasn’t any discussion of the performance Audi I’d most like to see. Because I want to see a road-legal car derived from the history-making RS Q e-tron — and the timing is perfect for it. Seriously, just think about how crazy people went giving Porsche 911s the safari treatment. It got so popular that Stuttgart actually responded with a factory version. Even Lamborghini is making an off-road-focused supercar, in the form of the Huracán Sterrato. I’m telling you, there’s gold in them there hills.

And of all the companies making high-end sports cars today, which ones have a legacy that even approaches Audi when it comes to getting dirty? I mean, Group B anyone? Just imagine something built using what the engineers at Audi Sport learned running the RS Q e-tron in the Dakar Rally, and how cool that would be. If they could style it so it looked like the Quattro S1, I don’t believe they’d be able to make them fast enough. Porsche and Lamborghini might have beaten Audi to the market, sure. But going fully electric would be a game changer. Suddenly, every other manufacturer would be playing catch up.

Of course, there’s a reason that I’m a writer and not a product planner, and it’s easy to spend someone else’s money on research and development from the comfort of your keyboard. That said, I really think I’m on to something here. So what do you think? Would it be a good move for Audi to lead the charge when it comes to off-road-focused electric cars? Hit me up and let me know!

Image Source: Audi

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The Good and the Bad: Road Tripping in the Audi e-tron

2019 Audi e-tron

AudiWorld member A4 Phil took his Audi e-tron on a 5,000-road trip over Christmas and dubbed his e-tron a ‘road trip king.’

The 2019 Audi e-tron was a huge moment in the history of the brand, as it marked the beginning of Ingolstadt’s pivot toward its all-electric future. With 355 horsepower, electronic quattro all-wheel drive, and a 204-mile range, it’s a new breed of EV, and unlike many competitors, the styling doesn’t scream “electric car.” But while most buyers would be content to use the e-tron as a daily driver or commuter, AudiWorld member A4 Phil recently completed a 5,000-mile road trip, and overall, he’s beyond pleased with the performance of his green machine.

In fact, he starts the post with this endorsement: “Our e-trons really are road trip kings. Take yours on a trip. You will love it.” He also praised the e-tron’s charging speed, saying “There is something very satisfying about rolling into charge with your ’19 and being out of there in 20 minutes while the other new Mach-Es, BMWs, etc, are wondering why they are charging at 50 kWs.” That said, while things went smoothly overall, A4 Phil has a separate thread on the Adaptive Cruise Assist, and posted some interesting observations about the e-tron’s route planner.

If you’re curious about what it’s like to travel via electric car, it’s a good read, so I’m including his first two points here:

Why does the map not yet show DC chargers en route? If I have a leg that the map is showing me my next charge, I’d like it to also show me any other EA’s I am passing in case my family is asking for a food stop, I can select an exit because of an available EA that is in the area. It shows me gas stations and all sorts of useless information, but not en route DCQC’s.

Why does the e-tron route planner not give you an SOC charging target? It gives you a charging time. But the time is useless because it does not account for the actual speed of the charger. Just the planned speed. So it tells you that you are going to roll in at 21% SOC and you will need to charge for 26 minutes. To what SOC? Why doesn’t it say that you are rolling in at 21% SOC and you need to charge to 87% SOC. Or better, why doesn’t it push you an alert on your phone so that you are notified while wandering around Walmart or whatever you are doing.

For the uninitiated, “EA” stands for Electrify America, “DCQC” stands for DC Quick Chargers, and “SOC” stands for State of Charge. And just as you’d think, his fellow Audi fans have some thoughts.

For starters, rdgrimes has an easy solution to the quirks of the native system, saying “I think the general consensus is to use anything other than the Audi route planning.” Also, yeamac points out that when it comes to road trip royalty, his Chrysler Pacifica takes the crown. And having driven Ma Mopar’s luxurious people mover? I can see why. Because while it’s as comfortable as an old-school Lincoln Continental, it’s got way more room, and the hybrid system gives it a range of around 500 miles — so your bladder will likely require attention before the fuel tank will.

Of course, that’s comparing apples to oranges, as there’s no gas engine on board with the e-tron. And it’s worth noting that exotic EV manufacturers like Lucid have already cracked the 400-mile mark, meaning we’ll soon see electric vehicles with an even more impressive range. There’s plenty more great info on the thread, so head over and check it out!

Image Source: Audi

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