German automaker Audi has, once again, claimed the title of overall winner in the Silvretta Electric Car Rally in Austria's Montafon region. The 2011 victory by the A1 e-tron follows the R8 e-tron's win in 2010. The second Audi in the rally, a Q5 fuel cell, finished in sixth place out of 32 vehicles.
After three days and 307 kilometers (190 miles), the A1 e-tron bearing number 206 was named the winner of the second Silvretta Electric Car Rally. The event took place from July 7 to 9 and was held on "highly taxing mountain roads" with inclines up to 15 percent. A1 e-tron driver, Franciscus van Meel, says that:
Sending an electric car into the Alps is one of the toughest challenges you can present it with. The fact that the A1 e-tron proved so impressive here is especially gratifying to me and it proves we're on the right track with our electric mobility approach of combining an electric motor with a combustion engine.
The A1 e-tron's 75-kilowatt electric motor, 12-kWh lithium-ion battery pack and single-disc, 254-cc rotary engine were apparently enough to propel the range-extended electric to the front of the pack, landing it in the winner's circle.
