A newly developed Q6 offroad concept prototype featuring two electric motors has been unveiled by Audi. These offer a combined power output of 380kW; and with the vehicle’s newly designed portal axles (a series of gears and a housing mounted on the axle ends to the wheel to increase ground clearance under the axle) it can climb gradients of up to 100%.
Gernot Döllner, Audi’s CEO, said: “The debuting Q6 gives a taste of a potential vehicle in the progressive off-road segment. An increase of 160mm in ride height and a 250mm wider track contribute to its spectacular appearance; and following a first test drive I can say that the Q6 e-tron off-road concept is a re-interpretation of quattro. The model shows the potential that our platform for all electric vehicles already has today. We look forward to seeing our customers’ reactions to this highly emotive car.”
Audi said that while conventional portal axles enable an increase in torque of around 20 to 30% at the wheels, its new design increases torque at the wheel by 50%; and while this lowers the vehicle’s top speed to 108mph, which is ‘adequate for an off-roader’, it enables the Q6 to climb gradients up to 45deg.
Mr Döllner added: “Innovations always begin with asking the right question. For the Q6 it was ‘how can we create a highly emotive electric vehicle’? The car spawned by this question boasts four portal axles that were developed from scratch and are integrated into the wheel hub assemblies at the front and rear axles, necessitating partial changes to the suspension links. The portal axles increase the combined torque at all wheels — for a 10sec peak — to 13,400Nm.”
Explaining more about its portal axle, Audi said: “This is an off-road vehicle suspension and drive technology where the axle tube or the half-shaft is offset from the usually above centre of the wheel hub and where driving power is transferred to each wheel via a simple gearbox, built onto each hub.
“It gives two advantages: ground clearance is increased, particularly beneath the low-slung differential housing of the main axles; and any hub reduction gearing allows the axle half shafts to drive the same power but at reduced torque, reducing load on the axle crown wheel and differential.”