- Based on Fabia Rally 2 Evo
- Will debut at the Austrian Rally
Skoda Motorsport has teamed up with its battery partner Kriesel Electric and racing partner Baumschlager to develop a fully electric rally car –RE-X1 Kreisel. Based on the Skoda Fabia Rally 2 Evo bodyshell and powered by an 860-Volts system delivering 260kW, the concept rally car was homologated by the Austrian Motorsport Federation AMF (ÖAMTC). It's set to debut in the Austrian Rally Championship this month.
Kreisel Electric is a supplier of the mandatory hybrid technology of the new generation 2022 World Rally Cars for the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC). Building on its experience, the Mlada Boleslav-based carmaker’s motorsport department updated a Fabia Rally chassis to be fitted with Kreisel’s electric powertrain. Compared to 425Nm on the ICE version, the RE-X1 has 600Nm of torque available. It’s fed through a 52.5kWh lithium-ion battery pack.The suspensions were tweaked for battery modification and the bodyshell floor was redone as well. For optimum performance, the battery block is liquid-cooled by Shell E-Fluids.
Although the first chassis of the RE-X1 is built for asphalt spec, the Austrian racing minds are putting it through paces on gravel surfaces as well. To be ready for future entries into FIA sanctioned rallies, Skoda Motorsport and Kreisel Electric plans of going through the homologation process. And electric rally car would surely provide further know-how and technical consultation for the ongoing development process of EV offensive.
