So here's a GT3 with two electric motors that deliver 6 to 8 second bursts of 160 hp or 120 kW.
It's gonna race at the Nürburgring 24 hours this year, and Porsche hopes at Le Mans in 2012 when there will be regulations for hybrids.
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So here's a GT3 with two electric motors that deliver 6 to 8 second bursts of 160 hp or 120 kW.
It's gonna race at the Nürburgring 24 hours this year, and Porsche hopes at Le Mans in 2012 when there will be regulations for hybrids.
My interest is caught, at the very least. I haven't seen much about the hybrid stuff in Le Mans, but I think I might have to change that the next chance I get...
This isn't the first though, there was the Panoz something, the pink coupe, IIRC.
It could be interesting, especially in endurance racing where outright performance isn't always the most important thing to win.
Zytek, who were also responsible for the Panoz, have been working on a hybrid version of the their LMP1 car for some time now. It raced in the ALMS last year.
It's Williams that has supplied the technology for Porsche. Press release:
[quote=Willimas Hybrid Power]Williams Hybrid Power Limited is pleased to confirm that the energy storage system as part of the new Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid, which was announced today by Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, has been developed and supplied by Williams Hybrid Power. The 911 GT3 R Hybrid with innovative hybrid drive will make its debut at the Geneva Motor Show. Further details from Porsche follow in the attached press release.
The energy storage system was originally developed for use in Formula One by the AT&T Williams team but Williams Hybrid Power is now focused on applications in road vehicles. The technology will also be developed for larger, infrastructure applications by Williams F1 at its new research facility in the Qatar Science and Technology Park.
Ian Foley, Managing Director of Williams Hybrid Power said, "We are delighted to see our technology being adopted by one of the world's leading engineering companies and most prestigious automotive manufacturers in one of their racing cars. Partnering with Porsche on this project has been a very positive experience and we are grateful to them for choosing to work with us."
Alex Burns, Chairman of Williams Hybrid Power and Chief Operating Officer of Williams F1 said, "This is a milestone for both Williams Hybrid Power and Williams F1. Together we have worked to bring this technology forward to the point where it can be tested in a racing car and deployed in a road car. We hope that this will be just the start of the evolution of hybrid systems developed for Formula One moving across to applications where they can contribute to cleaner and more powerful vehicles."
Williams Hybrid Power Ltd (WHP) has developed a novel, patented electromechanical composite flywheel system that provides a high-power, cost-effective and environmentally friendly solution for mobile or stationary energy storage and recovery, originally developed for Formula One. Through development of a flywheel for Williams F1’s Kinetic Energy Recovery System, WHP has proved its world-class engineering capabilities in the composite flywheel field as well as radically improving aspects of the technology in the process. WHP is today making the technology available to meet the high-power energy storage needs in a variety of applications including hybrid passenger vehicles, hybrid buses, electric trains, diesel-electric ships and wind power generation. In November 2009, the company announced its involvement in a mild hybrid road car programme with Ricardo, CTG, JCB, Jaguar Land Rover, SKF and Torotrak. The project aims to demonstrate the potential of flywheel-based hybrid systems with the potential for 30 per cent fuel savings (and equivalent reductions in CO2 emissions) at an on-cost of less than £1000, to enable mass-market uptake of hybrid vehicles in price sensitive vehicle applications.[/quote]
Power to the front wheels or the rear?
And how much heavier does it make the car?
Interesting stuff.
More here: [url=http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/4430/Porsche-997-GT3-R-Hybrid.html]2010 Porsche 997 GT3 R Hybrid - Images, Specifications and Information[/url]
[quote=NSXType-R;926321]Power to the front wheels or the rear?[/quote]
Front, apparently. So it's a four wheel drive car.
[quote=Ferrer;926324]Front, apparently. So it's a four wheel drive car.[/quote]
Yeah, I saw what Wouter posted up.
Interesting. Might be good to "drag" or "pull" the car out of a tail slide, or around a corner maybe?
It would be like a little overboost thingy maybe?
Other than passing someone on a straight, what's the practical use of it (other than fuel savings, etc.)?
PR says saving fuel, important in endurance. Also in tracks with long straights and hard braking points I'm sure this could improve lap times.
Depends on how its programmed to work....since this is more like KERS without the added complication of being integrated to the "mechanical" drivetrain like the F1 cars. I can see this being used even like BAR's front brake differential back in 2004 or 2005 to help turn in. KERS in F1 was so under utilized and limited that it was a gimmick, if they are allowed to be creative to using it actively they might do some pretty neat things with this....
On the side note, can someone translate the system picture above? Is the flywheel actually in the passenger seat?
[quote=RacingManiac;926339]On the side note, can someone translate the system picture above? Is the flywheel actually in the passenger seat?[/quote]
That's what Autoblog said.
I'd feel somewhat worried about a flywheel spinning beside me at 40,000rpm if I were to be in an accident....
[quote=RacingManiac;926368]I'd feel somewhat worried about a flywheel spinning beside me at 40,000rpm if I were to be in an accident....[/quote]
That was exactly the first thing I thought.
Maybe it's contained inside a shield of unobtanium.
I guess its a moot point though, if it were to be located in the front the material between you and the flywheel would be pretty useless for the energy it stores.....