The new RX2e car has been fully unveiled ahead of the all-electric second-tier rallycross championship’s inaugural season next year.
It has been jointly developed by Olsbergs MSE, the outfit behind the Supercar Lites car, and Extreme E entrant QEV.
A number of other firms have been involved in the car’s gestation including BRAID (wheel rims), R53 Engineering (shock absorbers), Cascadia Motion (inverters), and OMP Racing (the seat, harness, fire extinguishers and other safety equipment), as well as World Rallycross tire supplier Cooper Tires.
“We are all tremendously excited to show off the RX2e car in its official form,” said Pere Gonzalez, project manager for the RX2e championship.
“It has been a real labor of love getting to this point, with a tremendous effort put in by everybody at QEV and OMSE both back at base and on the test track.
“A huge part of that focus has obviously been ‘under the skin’ to make sure we get all the fundamentals right, to provide competitors with the most cutting-edge technology available and ensure the driving experience is as engaging and enjoyable as it can possibly be – but at the same time, it’s important not to neglect the aesthetics.
“Our design team have come up with a look that we believe is fresh, purposeful and striking – a real signal of intent as we look towards a faster and more environmentally-friendly future for our sport. We cannot wait to see it take to the track in anger!”
Like the RX2 series’ Lites car that it effectively replaces, the new RX2e car loosely resembles a Ford Fiesta – but with an aggressive aero package that incorporates a substantial rear-wing, rear diffuser, and a trick discreet cooling solution. Aside from aesthetics though, the RX2e car shares nothing in common with the best-selling hatchback.
The car’s lightweight spaceframe chassis features two independent electric drivetrains powered by a 32kWh battery. All of that combines to deliver 250kW (335bhp) to all four wheels and 339 lb-ft (460Nm) of torque.
That’s a 24% increase in power and 14% increase in torque over the Lites car. Olsbergs and QEV have also claimed the new car rivals current petrol-powered Supercars in terms of on-track performance and lap time.
Multiple European and US Lites champion Oliver Eriksson has already been testing the car ahead of its race debut, with double World RX champion Johan Kristoffersson and 2020 RX2 champion Henrik Krogstad also getting behind the wheel.
RX2e will commence in 2021 with a six-round season running alongside World RX. The schedule of the season is still being finalized.
