Ken Block has jumped on the EV bandwagon, with his latest video showcasing the wild performance of his latest car: the Audi S1 'Hoonitron'.
The video, which was released this week, shows Block driving an entirely bespoke machine developed and built by Audi, electrifying Gymkhana in the first-ever Electrikhana!
The car in question is a stunning one-off electric Audi, inspired by the 1987 Audi Sport Quattro S1 Pikes Peak car (above).
Oliver Hoffman, Audi's board member for technical development, says "developing a fully electric prototype for the unique requirements of our partner Ken Block was a big and exciting challenge to which the whole team rose with flying colors. It is great to see how ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’ is presented in an all-new environment."
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The axles are each powered by one of Audi's Formula E motors that send power to the wheels via a limited slip differential. It uses four 17.3-kWh lithium-ion battery packs that were originally intended to be used in the Audi Q7 e-tron plug-in hybrid.
While filming, Block burned through 2.5 times more tires than he usually does while filming for Gymkhana, the total: 100. It comes as no surprise, really, as with the motors running at 800 V, the S1 Hoonitron generates a combined 3,000 Nm of torque.
"The instant torque and wheel spin of the Audi S1 Hoonitron really allows it to do things that no car I’ve ever driven before can. Just look at the speed instantly jump 20-30kph at a time!" says Block on Facebook.
"The thing is, if you were to launch a regular race car, you've got to put it in gear... you need to sit in launch control for four to five seconds for the turbo to spool and for the boost to build and all that. So there's a process; it might only take 5–10 seconds, but there's a process to it," Block explains.
The car also features a pair of cooling circuits, one for when the car is running and the second connects to a service box, also containing the S1 Hoonitron's DC fast charger.
Charging didn't seem to be an issue for Block and his team. They say they reckon they could have gotten away with just a pair of battery packs instead of four.
Block and his team don't know the exact cost Audi spent making the Hoonitron, but estimate the number might be about $10 to $12 million US ($17 to $21 million NZD).
