INGOLSTADT, Germany—Audi AG plans to compete in the 2022 Dakar Rally with a team of electric vehicles. It will become the first automaker to enter EVs in the famous off-road racing event, which takes place in early January in the sand dunes of Saudi Arabia.

Audi engineers plan to adopt technology, such as battery management systems and electric motors, already developed for the company’s successful Formula E team.

“With the Dakar project, we remain true to our philosophy of using new technologies in motorsport for the first time that are groundbreaking for future road cars,” says Julius Seebach, managing director of Audi Sport GmbH. “We will test components for future electric drivetrains under extreme conditions at the Dakar Rally.”