Audi quietly dropped an extreme overland Q6 e-tron — and we are here for it - Related to intel, e-tron, evs,, —, are

Audi quietly dropped an extreme overland Q6 e-tron — and we are here for it

The overlanding trend may be played out, but no one told Audi — and they absolutely knocked it out of the park with this extreme off-road Q6 e-tron concept featuring genuine, high-clearance portal axles. (!?).

Volkswagen has been struggling to keep its Audi brand on track in recent times, but there is no denying team Audi’s styling chops. As if to underscore that point, Audi showed up at this year’s world cup weekend in Kitzbühel, Austria with what the corporation calls “a highly emotive” Q6 e-tron offroad concept powered by a pair of electric motors (one at each axle) with a combined 380 kW (about 510 hp) and the ability climb 100% grades (45 degrees) thanks to its electric portal axles.

If you’re not familiar with portal axles, it’s a rarely-seen drivetrain design that offsets – usually from above – drive shaft or CV axle from the center of the wheel hub either to dramatically increase or (in rare cases) lower the ground clearance of a given vehicle. Power is then transferred from the axle the wheel through a simple gearbox, built into each hub.

Public domain. By Gwafton; under CC BY-SA [website] license.

The development of an electric portal axle is crucial here, because it elevates the Audi concept from a styling exercise into the realm of engineering studies — and speaks, potentially, to more aggressively off-road focused products from Audi or (more likely) the Volkswagen Group’s ag and Scout brands.

Or, possibly, to a future where Audi is seen as a rugged, ultra-lux off-road brand. It’s a possible future hinted at by Audi CEO Gernot Döllner. “The Q6 e-tron offroad concept is a reinterpretation of quattro,” he stated, in a statement. “The model displays the potential that our platform for all electric vehicles already has today. This vehicle can claim new ground. We look forward to seeing our clients’ reactions to this highly emotive car.”.

The portal axles use gear reduction to increase torque to the wheels at the cost of top speed, which is now limited to 175 km/h (just under 110 mph). More than enough for a high-riding off-roader, in other words — but with up to 13,400 Nm (9,883 lb-ft) of torque at the wheels, you get the sense that it will get from 0-108 mph as quick as you’d like.

Obviously there’s no word yet on any production possibilities, but it looks so good that there’s sure to be one or two copycats at the next SEMA show. Give the Audi Q6 e-tron offroad concept a look for yourself in the photo gallery, below, then let us know what you think in the comments.

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Dannar Power Station concept continues to evolve beyond “just” power

Dannar keeps adapting its Mobile Power Station to meet the needs of the electrified off road market, bringing power to forests, construction sites, and rural farms when it’s needed. But now, the MPS doing more than just provide the power to do the work – its moving dirt!

Since I first saw it at the 2020 AFWERKS challenge, the Dannar MPS has seemed to be a solution in search of a problem. What I mean is that, while a 22,000 lb., 500 kW self-propelled battery that can charge itself up on grid power then make its way to the off-grid vehicles that need it makes sense, there just haven’t been that many electric equipment assets deployed. Even at Volvo Days this past summer, where a Dannar MPS was used to bring energy to a Volvo EC230E Electric excavator and L120 Electric wheel loader, it wasn’t obvious that Dannar had a advanced, more effectively deployable solution than Volvo itself.

Again, a solution in search of a problem – or, is it?

in recent times, Dannar has adapted its MPS concept into something more than “just” a rolling battery. Now, Dannar is adding implements, controls, and even whole operator cabs to turn the MPS into a vehicle that cam do real work.

Dannar MPS fitted with power broom, dump body; via Dannar.

Equipment assets and construction equipment are expected to perform thousands of tasks, but a lot of those assets can be built on a common chassis, with third-party upfitters adding the specialized bodies and implements that ultimately get the job done.

After proving that its MPS works, Dannar is pushing the idea that it can serve as a “common chassis” for a few hundred different types of vehicles, too – with Dannar’s (relatively) proven technology platform underneath.

“The chassis cab idea’s been around for a long, long time,” explained Gary Dannar, in an interview with Charged EVs. “It has a frame and possibly a cab on the front, along with an engine and transmission. Now, you can put an ambulance body on there, you can put a tank on there, you can do whatever you want with it.”.

Dannar sees a universe where its MPS is something like a new-age ox, ready to take its high-capacity V2G-capable batteries wherever they’re needed, and help clear the road from whatever snow, rocks, or downed trees are blocking its path.

And, in many cases, Dannar is using implements and attachments that are already popular on the market. “We have a hydraulic system on the Mobile Power Station now,” adds Dannar. “The hydraulic system is run from an electric motor, so you end up with the best of both worlds. You have a high-torque electric motor with variable speed that is able to run a hydraulic system extremely efficiently and with a lot of control. That means a lot of these hydraulic attachments and tools actually work superior (on the MPS).”.

You can see a few concept renderings illustrating some of the possibilities of an upfit Dannar in the field, as well as a prototype MPS with an operator cab and bucket attachment, below. Once you give those a look, let us know what you think of Dannar’s do-it-all concept in the comments.

data: Dannar, Charged EVs, Power Progress.

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Intel claims it can simplify EVs, boost range—with help from Karma

Could consolidate 50+ ECUs typical in new EVs to just a few.

Nets a 3-5% gain in efficiency and range, faster charging.

Simplifies assembly, cuts weight, extends reach of OTA updates.

Karma Kaveya EV arriving in 2026 is built on Intel architecture.

The idea of the software-defined vehicle is, it seems, a billion-dollar buzzword in today’s auto industry.

Truly, the money’s on it. In November, Volkswagen—recognizing Rivian’s progress in the area—invested up to $[website] billion in a new joint venture with the [website] EV maker. The investment is aimed at creating both the electric architecture and the software for what might amount to millions of next-generation software-defined vehicles (SDVs).

While we wait and see what that partnership brings, there’s a widespread consensus among tech suppliers and automakers that SDVs are the future for EVs and beyond—while few have provided a concrete roadmap of how and when they intend to get there.

At CES in Las Vegas earlier this month, Intel stood out as an exception, for its unveiling of a comprehensive, whole-vehicle SDV solution. It asserts much more than over-the-air updates, and that it might make EVs not only more adaptive to needs but also more efficient—with up to a 5% gain in EV range and efficiency from its new software-defined layout plus a more responsive driving experience.

Karma to be “living development prototype” for Intel architecture.

That layout isn’t a far-out concept, and it could be put to the test in less than two years. The Intel whole-vehicle software-defined architecture is due to be incorporated on the Karma Kaveya, a 1,000-hp fully electric all-wheel-drive coupe, with claimed 0-60 mph acceleration under [website] seconds, that’s slated for production in 2026.

“We think that we have the opportunity to be the very first manufacturer to deploy a full ground-up true software-defined vehicle architecture,” stated Marques McCammon, at Intel Automotive’s CES presentation. “And we’ll do that with the Karma Kaveya; it will have the ability to have workloads redistributed, be updated via the cloud, and it will serve as a platform for every Karma vehicle going forward.”.

McCammon showcased that the Karma EV will be “a living development prototype for the broader industry, as we ally for the development, acting as a development partner at scale.”.

Revealed at CES was Intel’s Adaptive Control Unit (ACU), which proposes to consolidate the control of vehicle domains, applications, and safety-critical functions all onto one central processing chip.

More than just OTA updates, Intel simplifies hardware.

Most modern vehicles employ a number of separate controllers, each with their own wiring and electronic control unit (ECU), either as part of a distributed approach or a consolidated zonal approach. Intel proposes that with the ACU it can reduce overall energy demand from an EV’s battery pack by actually adapting the voltage level for high-voltage systems in real time, depending on the conditions (like driving style).

Its method, with a software-defined zonal controller, can freely shift workloads around. Tesla’s Sentry mode for vehicle security, for example, runs on the in-cabin system today and uses 40 to 50 watts constantly, mentioned Jack Weast, Intel’s VP and the general manager of Intel Automotive, in the firm’s CES presentation earlier this month. But with a zonal platform it can run on just a few watts, turning on the larger system when there’s an intruder.

Or, noted Weast later, if you’re at a long stoplight, some aspects of active-safety systems might not need to be powered up.

“The way that we look at it is to think about a data center; you get all these massive racks of computing but you can literally use software to activate one rack or the other, move workloads back and forth,” explained McCammon to Green Car Reports as we took in the show.

The Karma CEO noted the parallels between the idea and one industry standard that started with Intel and evolved from not just communication to scalable power and voltage—that of the USB port.

This sort of dynamic variable voltage scaling might have been used on portions of the EV platform previously, but expanding the concept to the entire vehicle is something new.

“This is what we’ve been doing in PC platforms for 20 years,” summed Weast in the CES presentation.

It would be a welcome change at this point. Today’s vehicles can be nightmares to service, let alone assemble—essentially rats’ nests of disparate control units, located around the vehicle and often running at different voltages and levels of connectivity, leaving some systems capable of over-the-air updates and others not. More than 50 ECUs isn’t uncommon in new vehicles, and some vehicles have more than 100.

Intel’s solution could support “multiple topologies,” as part of a whole-vehicle architecture, it proposes, and it could be the next step—or one of the next steps—in a quiet revolution in how vehicles are conceived, built, and upgraded.

Building on Tesla and Rivian, or leapfrogging it?

Industry suppliers have some catching-up, measuring-up, and coordinating on standards to do, while there’s certainly potential to innovate. But some of this responsibility has been in the hands of automakers.

Shifting to a wiring-saving “zonal” architecture, with zones based on physical location rather than specific tasks, is one of the keys. So is shifting to software controls for those zones and the components within them.

Tesla led more than a decade ago by applying the software-based, over-the-air-enhancement model of smartphones to its vehicles—and applying the zonal approach—converging on the idea of systems that could be readily upgraded or elements that might be enabled via software.

Nio, among others, has also used a zonal approach. Rivian remains an industry darling of this transformation, and it managed in a rethink of its architecture that arrived last year in the 2025 Rivian R1S and R1T to consolidate an already-neat 17 ECUs down to just seven, cutting [website] miles of copper wiring from the vehicle, helping optimize efficiency and simplifying the supply chain.

Under VW’s investment in Rivian, it will license that zonal design and allow future collaboration between the two companies. The approach could lead to more easily upgradable vehicles that might cost less to build and also might enhanced cope with hardware changes over time.

Intel Adaptive Control Unit for software-defined vehicles.

Although there’s no complete production vehicle with Intel’s approach yet, it indicates an 80% reduction in ECUs, a 60% reduction in wiring harness length, and a 35% or more reduction in power consumption. Further, Intel says that the approach means lower vehicle component costs, allowing a smaller motor and battery pack—and lower-cost EV platforms overall.

All this stated, it’s unclear whether Intel’s solution is merely treading water among tomorrow’s EVs or swimming laps around them. Nearly every automaker by now understands the necessity to simplify in order to compete. Ford CEO Jim Farley, for instance, stated in 2023 that its next-generation EVs will be “radically simplified,” with a new electrical architecture that’s fully software updatable.

Intel and Karma co-branded inverter for software-defined EVs - CES 2025.

Back to the energy advantages, Intel says that its approach, including a power management system-on-chip (SoC), helps maximize efficiency for inverters, chargers, and converters. System-wide, the approach recovers up to 40% of what would otherwise be powertrain-system energy losses—netting a 3-5% gain in efficiency and range, by WLTP-cycle testing, along with faster charging and “a more responsive driving experience.”.

The inverter is one of the keys to that, and California’s Karma Automotive developed an inverter unit that’s intended to be part of Intel’s whole-vehicle solution. The silicon carbide inverter is Karma’s own intellectual property, confirmed Marques McCammon to Green Car Reports, and likely to be made in Michigan, but it’s co-branded with Intel.

Intel and Karma co-branded inverter for software-defined EVs - CES 2025.

By now you might be wondering: Why is the CEO of the California-based niche, low-volume luxury vehicle maker, which is best known for reviving and refining vehicles and systems derived from the first Fisker Automotive, talking industry-altering tech in such a deep way?

It stems from a long partnership when he was a management counterpart at Wind River systems—McCammon on the software side, Weast on the hardware side.

“We had a vision then of what a software-enabled, or software-defined vehicle was going to be,” McCammon explained to GCR. “But when we thought this up, we always needed someone to go first.”.

Fast forward a decade, to about a year ago, and Intel had just acquired Silicon Mobility, which McCammon noted was a turning point.

“We noted, where do we start? Everybody’s focused on the cabin, but really energy management, usage, and efficiency is in the powertrain domains.”.

Karma had already been developing its own inverter, its own powertrain domain control unit, and a chipset, McCammon explained, but what Intel and Silicon Mobility brought to the table “added a level of software programmability into a system that’s usually very fixed.”.

McCammon explained that Karma essentially now it has a programmable API between motor and hardware—something most other modern EVs don’t have. “We were already working on it for our next inverter, for our next generation products,” he revealed. “It was a natural fit.”.

“The inverter is one piece of it—this part we’re talking about today—but we are working on much, much more,” added McCammon.

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