Audi has unveiled their newly-developed e-tron FE05 Formula E racer, scheduled to end up with Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler as well British squad Virgin Racing for the upcoming 2018-2019 Formula E season. This season is the most innovative one yet, as for the first time since the series was launched in 2014, drivers will only use one car per race thanks to batteries that can now last the entire 45-minute race distance. Thus, the mandatory car change has been eliminated. This new-generation e-tron FE05 racer comes without a rear wing, where downforce is generated by a large diffuser at the rear. In this new season, teams are permitted to run 250 kW (340 HP) motors in qualifying, while race output is capped at 200 kW (272 HP). Also new are the so-called activation zones where drivers can temporarily access a higher power mode, worth 225 kW (306 HP). Meanwhile, fans will still be able to support their favorite driver by casting their vote online via 鈥淔anBoost鈥? giving drivers a temporary power boost worth up to 250 kW (340 HP), same as in qualifying. In a straight line, the e-tron FE05 can accelerate from zero to 100 km/h in 3.1 seconds and max out at around 240 km/h. Round one of the 2018-2019 Formula E season kicks off on December 15th in Saudi Arabia.
Anything more than 0.3 Gs and the traditional hydraulic brakes take over. Like most electric vehicles, you can also adjust your driving behavior to extend the range and see real-time results in the display in the dash cluster. There's also the traditional charging setup. The vehicle ships with a DC fast charger port and can accept up to 150kW of power. Unfortunately, it's tough to quantify that into range per minute of charge. It's fast, but the automaker still needs the EPA to give it a proper rating for the United States. The European WLTP test gives it a range of 248.5 miles but the EPA's more stringent tests should be less than that. That information should be available closer to the release of the car in the United States. Meanwhile, the in-car tech is powered by Audi's new MMI infotainment system. Like the system found in the A7 and A8, it's a great update and a frustration-free experience. The adaptive cruise control and lane-keep assist are also new and are carried over from the sedan line.
I noticed that the centering was a bit tighter on the E-Tron than on the A8, but that may be due to the well-maintained roads around Abu Dhabi. They are far nicer than the roads around Big Sur where I drove the Audi Sedan. Another small update to the system is the capacitive touch detection that senses if your hands are on the wheel -- a first for Audi. One feature I thought I'd like more were the side cameras and displays that replace the side mirrors. They're not allowed on US roads, so the chances of people experiencing them here are slim. The side-view displays are situated in the uppermost corner of the front doors just below where you would look with a traditional side-view mirror. To adjust the view angle, the driver's side is a touchscreen that you tap and drag to move the virtual mirror. They're slick but after a day of using them, I'm not really a fan.
As with anything new, you have to train your brain to not stare at the tiny cameras attached to the side of the car and instead look down a few inches to see what traffic is doing around you. The problem is, other than making cars a bit more aerodynamic, there isn't much value in adding more displays and cameras to a car when a mirror does the same job. I did like that the edge of the display glowed yellow when a car was behind me, but you could add that to a mirror. Maybe if I get the car for a week, I'll come away a believer in a side camera and displays instead of mirrors. But that's unlikely since any car brought to the United States wouldn't be allowed to have the system. And since they're not allowed in this country, my thoughts on their usefulness have no real bearing on the car overall.
I would have preferred a rear-view camera like the one found in Cadillacs and Chevy Bolt. Crazy new side-view technology aside, the E-Tron is an outstanding Audi that just happens to be electric. It has all the usual Audi luxury and if you like the company's SUVs, you'll like this. Probably even more so because it's quiet, the torque is great and the fast charging means if your town has the infrastructure (which Charge America is hoping to roll out quickly) you can quickly charge while out and about. The biggest disappointment is that we have to wait until the middle of next year to get it. The E-Tron, like the I-Pace and Model X, shows that electrification and utility are not mutually exclusive. And if you can get some luxury in there are the same time, you might as well pamper yourself while doing your part to reduce your carbon footprint. On occasion, Engadget will accept travel and lodging from auto manufacturers to test drive vehicles not yet available for review from a local fleet. We do this to make sure our readers have the latest information about new vehicles. This is standard practice in the automotive journalism world. This in no way colors our editorial coverage of the vehicle or of the automaker themselves.