This is Formula E

Busy week end of Motosport with the debut of Formula E on Saturday.  

I'm sure many will be as ambivalent and skeptical as we are at Axis about Formula E,

The rollout has not been easy and some demonstrations have been, to be kind, less than spectacular.  

It was probably a good PR move to choose Beijing, on of the world's most polluted cities as the first venue and indeed    in this latest clip promoting UK's ITV's broadcast  there is much talk about "green".   we're just not totally sure which green they are referring to.

Running on tight city tracks will help mask any speed deficiency and the gimmicky fan voted speed boost is presumably designed to attract the TV talent show audience.

But, we'll take a look.  US Broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 at 3:30 pm

Formula E Rolls In Los Angeles

Lucas De Grassi drove an FIA Formula -E  electric open wheel car in Los Angeles yesterday, on Earth Day.

LA will be one of the ten cities to host Formula E races starting in 2014, all on temporary street circuits.   Or that's the plan, so far the FIA has 8 dates in Rome, London, Miami, Pecking, Buenos Aires, Rio De Janeiro  and Putrajaya with two other dates yet to be determined.

The car weighs 780 kg (1720lbs) and have an equivalent of 400 hp.  Being electric they make no sound beyond tire noise and maybe gear whine so the cars will be outfitted with a noisemaking gizmo said to produce and 80db "futuristic sound".   The cars will be built by Spark Racing  on a Dallara design with Mclaren electronic components.

Races will  be about an hour long but the cars have a battery range of about 25 minutes and no provision for quick change of their batteries meaning drivers will have to make a pit stop to change to a second charged car.

There is a $2.6 M purse for the championship winning driver,  $5.2M for the winning team.

What will a 2014 Formula 1 turbo engine look like?

There has been much rumbling and groaning recently over the 2014 engine formula change, from 2.4 L v8 to 1.6 L V6 turbo.  Bernie says he does not like it, smaller teams say it will be too expensive but like or not, it's coming.

This will be, depending on how you count, the ninth different engine configuration allowed in Formula 1 since 1954.  At times in the past there were capacity limits and equivalency formulas but manufacturers were free to come up with their own technical configuration that fit within that rule box.    The engine freeze of 2006 stopped much "big picture" creative engineering and manufacturers focused on optimization to make small gains in efficiency and drivability.

2014 will be a big change and again the internal combustion part of the engine will be tightly controlled, to the point of limiting fuel flow at specific RPM but , crucially,  the new Energy Recovery part of the power plant will allow for creative thinking by engine techs.

You will need to get familiar with a whole new alphabet soup,  Gone from F1 will be KERS and DDRS but we will get ERS-K  and ERS-H to play around with at cocktail parties!  

Energy Recovery System - Kinetic is essentially the same as today's KERS, kinetic energy is harvested from the engine during release and stored.
Energy Recovery System- Heat is energy harvested from the exhaust side.

What makes this interesting for engines is that there is flexibility in the rules as to how these two systems interact and  are used harvesting and releasing energy.    This will mean different manufacturers could choose different strategies to optimize their units and this will lead to very different engine behaviors.   ERS-H will charge the batteries but it will also be able to spool the turbo and finding the sweet spot in that given rule box will be crucial.

In these Renault renderings, the ERS-K is the turquoise  part on the bottom left of the block while the ERS-H is in the V between the banks.    Air is fed through the intake snorkel  to one side of the compressor and through the intercooler.  The turbo is driven by the hot exhausts but also by the ERS-H unit which, like today's KERS can work both as engine and generator.   You can imagine a strategy might be  to cut lag by using electricity to spool the turbine.     It will be interesting to see how different manufacturers implement strategies with these engines which are expected to produce about the same power as the current 2.4 V8 units.

Another interesting aspect will be how exhausts are handled,   as you know turbos make engines quieter and the exhaust flow has much less energy than a normally aspirated  car.   In turn this will make all this blown exhaust nonsense less effective  and crucial.

One thins that will not happen in 2014 will be full electric power in pit lane provision of the rules.  Manufacturers were unhappy with the extra weight and size of the batteries needed to make that happen so the whole thing has been kicked down the road the pit lane to 2017 by the FIA.

Use of Electric Power in the Pit Lane in 2014

Toyota sets a new Nürburgring lap record.

7:22.329 seconds.    Nürburgring lap records are notoriously unofficial but that time puts Toyota's  electric powered EV P002 in the top ten on most lists.   That's faster than an Nissan GT-R, a Porsche GT2 RS or even a Maserati MC12.  Impressive.

The Radical based P002, developed by Toyota Motorsport GmbH in Cologne and driven by Jochen Krumbach, smashed TMG previous EV record by over 25 seconds and is the second EV success for Toyota this year following the record set at Pike's Peak  by Monster Tajima.

Electric car racing will be a reality, like it or not and Toyota has been developing independent means of recharging batteries without additional infrastructure at racing venues.   Not there with the ideal solution of  removable battery packs yet but Toyota uses a "battery van" containing large cells that then can transfer the charge "battery to battery"   anywhere.

“Since our Nürburgring record last year, we have developed our electric powertrain to deliver more power, more consistently, over a longer distance by managing the temperature of batteries, motors and inverter." Ludwig Zeller, General Manager of Electrics and Electronics at THG. "Pikes Peak was a clear illustration of the improvements and we have now reinforced that at the Nürburgring. But this achievement is not only about on-track performance; we are also very proud of the DC Quick Charger which again provided a reliable power supply in a remote location. This is an aspect of electric motorsport which has not been discussed at length but it is very significant; electric race cars need to be charged and it is a challenge to have the right infrastructure at race tracks, particularly temporary street circuits. Together with our partners at Schneider Electric, we have developed a solution to charge a race car literally anywhere in the world. This, along with the TMG EV P002 powertrain, represents a major step forward for electric motorsport.”

The EV P002 is powered by electric motors delivering a nominal 350Kw of power and 900 Nm of torque, that's 469HP and 663 ft/lbs.   Top speed is is listed at a relatively low 150 mph, curious because the Radical SR8 is  good to 170 plus. I wonder what the limiting factor is, weight, gearing?  Certainly looks faster than 150 in the video .

An impressive result though, to really win over fans, EV racing still have to develop what may be impossible, a seductive sound.

Postcard from the Nürburgring.

Earlier this month Markus Winkelhock drove the Audi R8 e-tron to a new electric vehicle lap record aroung the Nürburgring: 8 minutes and 9 seconds about the speed of a mid nineties Porsche GT2.

What's it like to drive an electric race car ?

Well , it's not slow,  Soheil Ayari hits a top speed of 180 km/h which, on a tight track like Pau is not that bad but man, is it loud!

Electric Formula Racer : FondTech E-11

If the Toyota electric Radical freaked you out you might want to look the other way. If on the other hand you are interested in technological development and how engineers solve challenges they are presented with, you might look past the frankly, goofy looks and read further.

This is a design concept by FondTech, a name F1 fans will be familiar with, founded by auto guru Jean-Claude Migeot and the late Gabriele Rumi of Fondmetal wheels, FondTech has clients from F1 to DTM to LeMans.

FondTech's was founded in 1993 by Migeot who pioneered the likes of the now the de rigueur raised front nose and blown diffuser. Today FondTech, along with its subsidiary Aerolab, employs around 90 staff (mostly engineers and technicians) spread across its three wind tunnels and has become a trusted partner in many fields of aerodynamic development. Its direct influence and innovation can be seen in Formula 1, prototype sportscars and DTM.

The brief here was to design a formula car that would match the performance of current Formula 3s. Luca Gasparini Head of engineering for the project:

"As an engineer it is extremely liberating to work without the usual set of boundaries and principles that often stifle progress in other realms of motorsport. With the E-11 it is the level of a technology outside of our control that has proven most prohibitive so we have had to work hard to overcome a lot of potential pitfalls.

Jean Claude-Migeot:

E-11 also includes a number of innovative features, like four wheel-drive, which we believe are essential to extracting the most potential from electric racing cars. Due to the limitations of existing batteries, and in helping restore motorsport's value as the proving ground of tomorrow's road car technology, it was imperative that our imagination was not restricted. I am hopeful the FIA will appreciate this pioneering spirit when framing their own regulations in the coming months.

SO what do you say, repulsed or intrigued?
.

Toyota zaps Nürburgring electric car record!

We told you it would happen, but even we are surprised by how much Toyota, the power behind the e-Wolf Alpha 1, would crush the previous record.
The old record, held by Peugeot, was 9 minutes 1.338 seconds and we were expecting something around the 8 minute mark, we were off by quite a bit. The new 100% electric record stands at 7:47.794!

to put it in perspective, that's faster than Porsche was able to drive a Nissan GT-R, faster than a 997 Turbo, faster than a 360 Challenge Stradale. OK it's a Radical but it was running on road legal tires which eerily make the only noise you hear!




Official press release and full laps are after the jump....







NEW EV LAP RECORD FOR TMG

30 August 2011
Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG) has set a new lap record for an electric vehicle (EV) at the legendary 20.8km Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit in Germany.
The TMG EV P001, with 100% electric powertrain and Jochen Krumbach at the wheel, set a new lap record of 7mins 47.794secs to beat the previous lap record, which stood at 9mins 1.338secs, by a very substantial margin.
Using two electric motors, the TMG electric powertrain has a top speed of 260km/h which combined with 800Nm of torque to achieve impressive speeds on the extremely challenging Nordschleife track, which includes significant elevation changes and lengthy flat-out sections.
TMG’s target prior to the 29 August record run was to become the first electric vehicle break the eight-minute barrier and this was achieved comfortably on a day when the notoriously changeable Nürburgring weather stayed fine, although track temperatures were relatively low.
Such performance shows TMG’s electric powertrain is ideal to power any future single-make electric motorsport series and TMG will begin commercial sales of this technology in 2012. TMG continues to advance its electric vehicle capability for motorsport applications with in-house development of the electric powertrain and ongoing investigations into alternative chassis solutions.
Pascal Vasselon, TMG’s Technical Director, said: “The goals for this project were twofold: obviously we wanted to set a new EV lap record and I am very pleased we could achieve that so comprehensively. On the other hand, we also wanted to learn more about the operation of our electric powertrain in extreme circumstances; in motorsport there is no more extreme circuit than the Nürburgring. On the record lap the TMG EV P001 performed better than in testing due to the improvement we already could make based on that experience. We have enhanced our electric powertrain development thanks to the information our engineers have gained and our future EV products will benefit from this project.”
Rob Leupen, TMG’s Director Business Operations, said: “This is a very impressive achievement which really shows the huge potential for electric powertrains to deliver fast, exciting action on the race track. There’s no doubt that electric motorsport can be every bit as thrilling as traditional racing and it was an amazing sensation to watch the TMG electric vehicle fly past on the Nordschleife, with only the sound of wind rushing past and tyres squealing. To achieve a new lap record at the first attempt, and by such a huge margin, is a great achievement and I am very proud to see TMG’s name in the record books. But this is not the end of the story for TMG and I hope we will see our electric powertrains in action on the track again soon.”
The new lap record was completed on road-legal tyres, using the complete Nordschleife track. It was verified by independent lap timing.
TMG extends its thanks to its partners in this achievement: Aguti created and implemented the livery concept while rational motion integrated the electric powertrain, traction battery and control strategies. EVO Electric motor technology delivered the power. The TMG EV P001 is based on a Radical chassis as modified by TMG for e-WOLF.

Gaddafi's Green machine

(photo AP/Sergey Ponomarev)

Green has always been the color of choice for the wacky soon to be ex Libyan strongman: Green book, Green flag, lots of greenbacks stashed under the mattress I'm sure but, an electric car?

You have may have seen the wire picture of a green and gold pimped out Fiat 500 captured by rebels in Tripoli this week.
Gaddafi is known to have an extensive exotic car collection, including at least one Veyron. You would imagine the dictator of an oil rich country where most people live in poverty would but who knew he had a thing about electric cars? Apparently he had many and the green and gold FIAT is said to have been his favorite.


(1914 ALFA 40/60hp Aerodinamica "Siluro Ricotti" built by Castagna)

The car was built by the famed Milanese coach builder Castagna. In business since the mid 1800s, Castagna is known for building pretty much whatever you can think up and have money to buy. The Libyan leader had some very particular requests for his green machine. Find out more after the jump.







The 500 was commissioned anonymously in June 2009 but when the spec sheet came in, it did not take long for Castagna to figure out who the buyer might be.

Ordered with full options, nautical teak wood and cream leather interior with green stitching, sand colored top and a metallic green and gold paint job, it had to be ready by September.



It is said to be powered by a 34kW engine running on lithium batteries good for a top speed of 100 mph and a range of 160 miles.
As you would imagine, Muammar is a man who needs to get places fast so he specified that the car needed ultra fast charging. Castagna provided two enormous charging machines, sourced in Sweden, which cost as much as the car itself and can fully recharge the batteries in ten minutes (...yes and Quaddafi has not been defeated, he is simply lulling the rebels into a false sense of security!).

The car would not of course wear a FIAT badge but a custom made malachite emblem depicting Africa and Gaddafi's Green Book. Tasteful.



One last detail. The car has does have a gas tank, not for propelling the car but to power a generator for the oversized air conditioning compressor, Those Romanian nurses did not like the heat!

The car was delivered on time, final price, 100000 Euro for the car, 100000 euro for the charging stations.

Bad news for coach builders that eccentric third world dictators are on the outs...



(Corriere della Sera/Castagna Automobili)

Toyota aims to pulverize Nürburgring lap record...

...for electric vehicles. The current record is held by Peugeot which lapped its weird sci-fi looking EX1 in 9:01.338. Fast for a golf cart but in real life teams, way slower than a Range Rover Sport.



Toyota Motorsport GmbH has a 160 mph, 0-62 in 3.9 second electric car hiding in the forests of Germany and figures they'll send the Peugeot lion scampering home. Usually, when these things are announced, it means the time has already been beaten unofficially and now it's just a matter of finding a nice day to film the event...

You'll be amazed when the time is revealed, that's one fast golf cart! Care to take a guess?

(more on Pitpass).

The thing about electric cars crashing....

...is that you can really hear the crash!


2011 Grand Prix Electrique, Pau France.

end of post

Montecarlo December 5, 2009.
Times, they are a changing ...er, charging.


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