Author: tsport100

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What You Need to Know About LMP1 Hybrids Leading up to Le Mans [VIDEO]

The hybridised World Endurance Championship has introduced a new version of cut and thrust racing that is very entertaining to watch but I'm not sure either Jalopnik nor the (with respect) race commentators fully understand how the very different hybrid systems interact on the track.

The video sequence features a race for position between the Audi R18 E-Tron Quattro and the Porsche 919 Hybrid. While these cars are both in the same LMP1 hybrid class, the rules allow for a large amount of technical freedom (especially when compared to many other 'control formula' International championships).

The 2015 Audi R18 features a 558 HP (410 kW) 4.0-liter Turbo Diesel V6 combustion engine driving the rear wheels with a 272 HP (200 kW) electric motor driving the front wheels. The R18 is in the 4 Megajule class with a flywheel energy storage system can store 700 kilojoules.

The Porsche 919 Hybrid features a 500 Hp (370 kW) 2.0-liter Turbo Petrol V4 combustion engine driving the rear wheels with a 400 HP (300 kW) electric motor driving the front wheels. The 919 is in the 8 Megajule class with an A123 Lithium-ion battery energy storage system and also has thermodynamic energy recuperation using the energy from exhaust gases from the turbo charger.

The energy class regulations refer to the amount of regenerated energy that can be used each lap, for example 8 megajoules equals 2.2 kWh that can be deployed around the race track (3.6 megajoules is equivalent to 1 kilowatt hour (kWh).

Like in Formula One, the energy recuperation is pre-programmed and not directly controlled by the drivers, what might be confusing is that unlike in F1 where output from the KERS systems is driver controlled via a steering wheel mounted 'boost' button, in the WEC the KERS output is also pre-programmed. In fact KERS 'boost' buttons are banned in the WEC.

The FIA specify hybrid ‘braking zones’ where teams can program energy recovery. The hybrid output can be used anywhere around the track and is calculated by race engineers pre-race to maximise the use of this energy for fastest laps times with minimal fuel burn. As a result, what we're seeing in the video above where the Porsche 919 is said to be "running out of hybrid power" is in fact the same pre-programmed energy duty cycle used by the 919 on every laps of the race. This becomes very clear watching extended in-car race footage (the FIA WEC on-line package offers full race in-car access to all works LMP1 cars). What we see as the Porsche massively out accelerates the Audi at the top of Eau Rouge is a combination of the 919 having a 60 kW advantage over the Audi and where the Porsche is pre-programmed to apply it's 4Mj of additional hybrid power. Again, the 919 drives this duty cycle every lap.

There are other very interesting differences at play such as braking performance. Where the Audi (flywheel) and Toyota (super capacitor) systems can recover a 'full charge' during high speed braking, while the Porsche (li-ion battery) has a noticeable extended high speed braking profile, e.g the 919 starts braking a longer distance before the corner, and is belived to take several braking zones to recover a 'full charge'. This is due to the asymmetric charge and discharge curves of lithium ion batteries and is partially compensated for by the thermodynamic turbo generator which makes the Porsche 919 Hybrid the only car in the field that recuperates energy not only when it brakes but also when it accelerates.

Motorsport is a technical sport and this is exactly what racing is meant to be about, advancing automotive technology.

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Aston Martin DBX SUV to go into production in 2019

Aston Martin has announced a production version of the all electric DBX SUV concept will enter production and be on sale by 2019.

In a statement issued last night, Aston’s boss Andy Palmer announced his company had raised the £200m from its two majority shareholders to begin work on creating a production version of last month’s Geneva motor show concept.

“The additional investment announced today will allow us to realise the DBX and other new luxury vehicles that will form the strongest and most diverse portfolio in our history”. Said the Aston CEO.

The DBX Concept is an all-wheel drive crossover high luxury GT that uses in-board electric wheel motors at all four corners powered by lithium sulphur cells. Steering is a drive-by-wire system and both the driver and passenger have head-up displays surrounded by auto-dimming ‘smart glass’.

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Infiniti’s Vision GT Hybrid concept [VIDEO]

Looking virtually identical to the digital model created for Gran Turismo 6, the real world Vision GT concept provides a glimpse at what a "high performance Infiniti could look like in the future.”

While the company didn't have much to say about the car, it has a naturally aspirated 4.5-litre V8 petrol-electric hybrid system powering the rear wheels and features an aggressive front fascia with a prominent grille that is flanked by slender headlights and sporty air intakes. Moving further back, there's sporty side skirts, carbon fiber trim and massive alloy wheels.

According to the game maker’s, the Infiniti Concept Vision Gran Turismo’s electric motor delivers “overwhelming torque” in low-speed situations while at higher speeds, the V8 engine teams “immense power”

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Magnesium ion battery shows potential for Electric Vehicles

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have taken a significant step toward the development of a battery that could outperform the lithium-ion technology used in electric cars.

They have shown they can replace the lithium ions, each of which carries a single positive charge, with magnesium ions, which have a plus-two charge, in battery-like chemical reactions, using an electrode with a structure like those in many of today's devices.

"Because magnesium is an ion that carries two positive charges, every time we introduce a magnesium ion in the structure of the battery material we can move twice as many electrons," says Jordi Cabana, UIC assistant professor of chemistry and principal investigator on the study.

"We hope that this work will open a credible design path for a new class of high-voltage, high-energy batteries," Cabana said.

The research is part of the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research, a Department of Energy Innovation Hub led by Argonne National Laboratory, that aims to achieve revolutionary advances in battery performance. The study is online in advance of print in the journal Advanced Materials.

Every battery consists of a positive and negative electrode and an electrolyte. The electrodes exchange electrons and ions, which are usually of positive charge. Only the ions flow through the electrolyte, which is an electric insulator so as to force the electrons to flow through the external circuit to power the vehicle or device.

To recharge the battery, the exchange is reversed. But the chemical reaction is not perfectly efficient, which limits how many times the battery can be recharged.

"The more times you can do this back and forth, the more times you will be able to recharge your battery and still get the use of it between charges," Cabana said.

"In our case, we want to maximize the number of electrons moved per ion, because ions distort the structure of the electrode material when they go in or leave. The more the structure is distorted, the greater the energy cost of moving the ions back, the harder it becomes to recharge the battery."

"Like a parking garage, there are only so many spaces for the cars," Cabana said. "But you can put a car in each space with more people inside without distorting the structure."

Having established that magnesium can be reversibly inserted into electrode material's structure brings us one step closer to a prototype, said Cabana.

"It's not a battery yet, it's piece of a battery, but with the same reaction you would find in the final device," said Cabana.

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VW Looking to Reduce Battery Costs by 66% with Singe Cell Design

Volkswagen Group may shift to a single lithium ion battery cell design for all of its electrified vehicles.

Heinz-Jakob Neusser, VW's board member in charge of development, says the group is targeting a 66 percent cost reduction with a design that would be packaged into modules customized for each vehicle.

"We have a clear understanding in the group of a common cell," Neusser said during a roundtable at the auto show here. "That means each member of the group, each brand, uses the same cell. Otherwise, we cannot get the synergies out of this development."

Volkswagen currently uses multiple types of lithium ion cells. For example, Panasonic supplies cells for the e-Golf, Golf GTE plug-in hybrid and Audi A3 e-tron, while Samsung supplies cells for the upcoming Passat GTE and Audi electrified vehicles.

A single design would enable greater utilization of the group's battery module assembly plant in Braunschweig, Germany. Multiple suppliers could be used to source the single cell design, a spokesman said.

Volkswagen plans to decide in the first half of this year whether new battery technology under development at U.S. startup QuantumScape Corp. is ready for use in its electric cars.

Source: ANE

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Japan’s maglev train sets new world record with 603 km/h test run [VIDEO]

Japan’s state-of-the-art Maglev train set a world speed record Tuesday during a test run near Mount Fuji, clocking more than 600 km/h.

The seven-car Maglev — short for magnetic levitation — train, hit a top speed of 603 km/h (377 Mph), and managed nearly 11 seconds over 600 km/h Central Japan Railway (JR Tokai) said.

The new record came less than a week after the train clocked 590 km/h, by breaking its own 2003 record of 581 km/h.

The Maglev hovers 10 cm above the tracks and is propelled by electrically charged magnets.

JR Tokai wants to have a train in service in 2027 plying the route between Tokyo and Nagoya, a distance of 286 km.

The service, which will run at a top speed of 500 km/h, is expected to connect the two cities in only 40 minutes, less than half the time it takes by shinkansen.

By 2045 Maglev trains are expected to link Tokyo and Osaka in just 67 minutes, slashing the journey time in half.

However, construction costs for the dedicated lines are astronomical — estimated at nearly ¥11.9 trillion just for the stretch to Nagoya, with more than 80 percent of the route expected to go through costly tunnels.

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Chevrolet-FNR autonomous EV concept

Chevrolet has created a vision of what it thinks a full autonomous all-electric vehicle of the future might look like.

Created by GM’s Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center the Chevrolet-FNR is an autonomous electric concept vehicle that boasts a futuristic capsule design. It has crystal laser headlights and taillights, dragonfly dual swing doors.

The Chevrolet-FNR features an extremely aero design focused on low drag powered by AWD magnetic hubless electric wheel motors along with autonomous wireless charging. A laundry list of imaginary specification like range and power output has been provided.

The Chevrolet-FNR is loaded with a range of sensors like roof-mounted radar that can map out the environment to enable driverless operation, Chevy Intelligent Assistant and iris recognition start. The Chevrolet-FNR can also serve as a “personal assistant” to map out the best route to the driver’s preferred destination.

In self-driving mode, the vehicle's front seats can swivel 180 degrees to face the rear seats, creating a more intimate setting. The driver can switch to manual mode through the gesture control feature.

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ELMOFO Electric Radical maiden quarter mile pass [VIDEO]

In a demonstration run during the Mighty Car Mods Nationals at Sydney Dragway the ELMOFO Electric Radical made it's maiden run down the quarter mile achieveing at time of 10.922 seconds @ 131.25 Mph (211.24 km/h).

The EV Radical SR8 is designed for circuit racing and has the distinction of being the first electric car to win a race against petrol vehicles in a sanctioned event. The ELFOMO Racer has a peak output of 300 Kw / 600 Nm from twin Remy based BLDC permanent magnet motors with energy fed from a 30 kWh KoKam Li-Po battery pack via two RMS inverters.

This was the cars first run down a quarter mile and the 10s time was achieved with worn rain tires and gearing more suitable to circuit racing (top speed of 270 km/h). With lower gearing and heated slick tires ELMOFO could be knocking on the door of a 9 second pass. Even with the current set-up, ANDRA officials started to warn the team the car is close to requiring a parachute if it runs much faster.