Formula One is responsible for passing a shedload of hand-me-down tech to everyday road cars. Traction control, launch control, flappy paddle gearboxes and carbon fibre were all made famous through track racing before gaining mainstream acceptance in road cars, but it appears it's the road car's turn to influence F1.
The sport's governing body, the FIA, will introduce a next-generation hybrid system to F1 cars from the 2013 season onwards. And according to Williams team boss Adam Parr, this will allow them to run on electric power alone when driving through the pits -- much like hybrid road cars allow you to cruise on 'leccy power alone at low speeds.
Today's F1 cars already use part petrol, part electric hybrid-style KERS (kinetic energy recovery systems). At present, KERS is designed to provide an extra 80hp of boost for a maximum of 6.67 seconds per lap to aid overtaking. According to the excellent James Allen on F1 blog, however, Parr believes KERS systems of tomorrow will be four times more powerful than today's systems and have an EV-only mode.
"It will have one fan generating electricity to super-charge the engine, another fan to recover energy from the exhausts which will recharge a battery and then be usable," he said. "It's going to run on pure electric in the pitlane."
Some important figures in F1 are reluctant for the sport to take this path. F1 mogul Bernie Eccleston and Ferrari chief Luca di Montezemolo have both expressed their concerns, and have argued that part-electric cars won't produce the incredibly loud engine noise F1 cars are famous for.
The pair have also baulked at the FIA's plans to switch from the poweful eight-cylinder engines used in today's cars to smaller 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engines that will use less fuel and emit less carbon dioxide.
Parr believes there's no going back. "You've got cutting edge technology," he said. "I mean really the future of road cars, you're going to have a very powerful message about environmental performance and what technology can do. And the racing will be just as exciting, if not more.
"You are going to have a powertrain generating well over 800hp from four cylinders. It's going to sound fantastic."
We hope he's right.
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Comments 10
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Anonymous 29 April, 2011 14:41
Really sensible! The only place where the cars might potentially be able to hit somebody is also the place to run them silently? Who dreams up this stuff?
Anonymous 29 April, 2011 19:56
Yes because the pit lane is full of people radomly running about not expecting a 200mph race car to come by during a race.. all those blind people with their dogs will be up in arms. Muppet.
pablouk1 30 April, 2011 18:00
Changing the size of the engines or running hybrid in F1 in the near future is still undecided due to the HUGE costs involved of development.
Speculation reporting at best here.
Anonymous 30 April, 2011 22:05
The Le Mans 24 hours already has this rule - to be certified as a hybrid, a car must be able to drive the entire length of the pitlane only on electric/flywheel power.
Dean Shepherd 1 May, 2011 19:05
@ pablouk1 30 April, 2011 18:00
hey, didn't you know that's what Crave is like nowadays....speculation with very little..
Anonymous 2 May, 2011 14:28
The new engine regs arent speculation. Like the article says, the 2013 engine regulations have already been CONFIRMED by the FIA (the people who make the rules in F1). Bernie Ecclestone and Ferrari might not like it though.
pablouk1 2 May, 2011 14:50
j7he110*6/85;/pl.9oo,jhngygfr
Anonymous 2 May, 2011 15:01
anon 2 may - agreed. The regulations have already been signed off by F1's governing body. They are under threat from people who don't want them to go ahead (ferrari) but the writing's on the wall. And in the rule books (pending a complete u-turn, which we've seen in F1).
Anonymous 3 May, 2011 09:18
Well as long as Murdoch is happy with the rule change ...
Zvi Lahat 4 July, 2011 11:13
Comparison between hydrostatic & electrical hybrid
- The efficiency of reusing vehicle kinetic energy by hydrostatic system is 250% greater than electrical. That because the electrical battery can't receive the big current, and most of the potential energy must be wasted by the regular frictional braking system.
- The hydrostatic system is lighter then the electrical and so the hydraulic motor. Therefore the dynamic response is faster.
- The transmission ratio of hydrostatic transmission is variable infinite, so the combustion engine can run all the time on optimal power and efficiency.