- 84 participants divided into 21 crews at the wheel of 10 Audi e-tron GT quattro and 11 Audi RS e-tron GT quattro
- Successful objective of performing the 3 hours of race without charging and without changing consumables: an experience of more than 5,000 km in a race on the manufacturer’s credit
- A local loyalty and marketing tool for the manufacturer and 27 of its distributors, with 38 myAudi program customers invited
[source: Audi France]
Roissy-en-France, France – Audi launched the first edition of an unprecedented 100% electric endurance race for its customers, the Audi e-tron endurance experience, which was held on the Paul Ricard du Castellet circuit on April 25 and 26. A look back at this innovative event highlighting the brand’s commitment to electromobility.
The Audi e-tron endurance experienceis the worthy heiress of the Audi endurance experience (#A2E), a successful Audi event that, in 2011, offered members of the “myAudi” loyalty program to turn into racing drivers during an authentic annual endurance competition on a circuit under the FFSA license, exclusively reserved for amateurs.
This brand new race offered its 84 participants (38 journalists, 38 myAudi customers, 8 VIPs) divided into 21 crews to compete behind the wheel of 10 Audi e-tron GT quattro and 11 Audi RS e-tron GT quattro in a 3-hour endurance race. The objective? Cover the greatest possible distance in 3 hours on a single charge and without replacing consumables. Objective that was achieved by all crews since no recharge was made during the race as well as no change of consumables.
Beyond the performance of the drivers, it was for Audi France to challenge 12,406 horsepower with 0 CO2 emissions, for 5,130 km traveled and 1,743 kW/h recharged via the photovoltaic installations of the Circuit Paul Ricard. The winning team is the one that has traveled the greatest distance, highlighting endurance, strategy and e-tron electric technology.
“It’s not a race like before with pure speed and unlimited energy. It is a subtle test in which we manage both performance and efficiency. Infinite energy and materials are over! “said Marc Ouayoun, Managing Director of Audi France, present at the event.
A race recognized by the FFSA
The Audi e-tron endurance experience is a real car race supervised and validated by the French Motor Sport Federation (FFSA). This homologation, a guarantee of prestige and excellence, highlights compliance with the highest standards in terms of safety, sporting fairness, and environmental commitment, thus offering an irreproachable competitive experience.
A lasting partnership with the Paul Ricard circuit
The Audi e-tron endurance experience took place on the Paul Ricard du Castellet circuit, with whom Audi has been forming a lasting partnership for more than 15 years thanks in particular to their common commitment to sustainable mobility.
The Paul Ricard Circuit has 20,750 m2 of photovoltaic shade. This infrastructure has an estimated annual production of 3,484 MWh (in 2019), which is equivalent to the consumption of 2,968 people/year (excluding heating). All production is redistributed to the local electricity grid. Thus, it took only 5 hours of energy capture to produce the 1,743 kWh consumed in total by the 21 cars over the 2 days of tests.
The myAudi program at the heart of the strategy
Marc Ouayoun, Managing Director Audi France, has made it one of the strategic axes of his pole26 strategy: to offer a reference customer experience through the 4 pillars of the Audi service: personalization, customer journey, customer relationship, and the myAudi program.
This loyalty program brings together the Audi community around “money can’t buy” events, strengthening common values and commitment to the brand. In 2023, the myAudi program proposed 25 events (sports, gastronomic and hotel, artistic and cultural, or moments created by the brand) bringing together several hundred customers in the field of art and culture, to which are added the “Audi driving experience”, days of driving on a circuit or road tests, driving the most exclusive models in the range. Among them, Canneseries, VivaTech, the e-tron GT drive or the Forum Design Miami/Paris.
The Audi e-tron endurance experience event is part of Audi’s strategy to offer an exceptional customer experience through the myAudi program. In total, 27 Audi distributors were represented by their customers at the event. As with #A2E, this privileged event is an opportunity to address customers directly, convince them and do pedagogy on electromobility. Marc Ouayoun describes the Audi e-tron endurance experience as a race “without noise, without emitting CO2 and taking a lot of fun, which is confirmed by all those who participate in this challenge”.
Competition: Audi’s DNA
The Audi e-tron endurance experience illustrates Audi’s continued commitment to motorsport since the creation of Audi Sport GmbH in 1983. Audi has always excelled in motorsport, using racing as a test field for its production technologies, and is recognized worldwide for its performance. With the advent of electromobility, Audi persists in marking motorsport while integrating ecological concerns, like its recentcommitment to Formula 1 by 2026and its contribution to the writing of the new F1 regulation.
“Motorsport is part of Audi’s DNA. We must show our customers that our electric models are also sporty and that we can have fun driving them, “said Marc Ouayoun.
Audi e-tron endurance experience in numbers
| Participants in the Audi e-tron endurance experience | 21 crews· 10 customer crews· 11 crews of journalists and VIPs84 pilots· 38 journalists· 38 customers· 8 VIPs27 Audi distributors represented by their customers |
| Participating vehicles | 10 Audi e-tron GT quattro & 11 Audi RS e-tron GT quattro12,406 horses in total on the track |
| Race time | 3 hours |
| Distance made | 5,130 km traveled |
| Electricity consumption | 1,743 kWh consumed in total |
