The Future Of Electric Vehicles In Endurance Racing – That’s because, while electric vehicles can do a lot of things well, long distances and quick refueling aren’t one of them right now. That’s where hydrogen comes in, as it can more directly replace conventional fossil fuels, either with fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) or in liquid fuel form.
And what better way to highlight the benefits of hydrogen for endurance and rapid replenishment than at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Race organizers the ACO have long encouraged manufacturers to use the race as a testbed for future road car technology, and hydrogen is the next frontier.
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Toyota has not hidden its doubts about electric cars, investing in a so-called “multiway” of technologies. It revealed the GR H2 Racing Concept ahead of the 2023 race and wants to race it in the ACO’s planned hydrogen class.
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Toyota has already invested millions to try to create a viable, hydrogen-based, carbon-neutral fuel that can replace fossil fuels. It has already competed in domestic races in Japan with a GR Corolla powered by liquid hydrogen, but a potential Le Mans entry would be a big step forward in making the technology more mainstream.
In 2024, the racing industry’s hydrogen plans took a giant leap forward with the unveiling of the H24EVO, a new hydrogen-electric prototype that was developed by the ACO itself and specialist companies for a future Garage 56 entry.
Jean-Michel Bouresche, president of the H24Project and co-president of the MissionH24 initiative that supports it, explained his vision.
“The goal we have set for ourselves is for the H24EVO to be the first electric hydrogen prototype approved by the FIA and to have a level of performance equivalent to the best GT3s,” he said.
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And that’s not all that’s happening in the world of hydrogen prototypes. Alpine revealed the Alpenglow HY4 earlier this year and took advantage of last weekend’s race to give the car its public debut, lapping the famous circuit ahead of the race.
Hyundai is another brand rumored to be interested in a potential hydrogen-powered Le Mans entry in the future, having previously developed a racing prototype.
Closer to home, Toyota and Hyundai have made it clear that both companies are committed to hydrogen, working together to invest in infrastructure and other initiatives to promote its use in heavy-duty vehicles in the short term and larger passenger vehicles in the long term. deadline
Stephen Ottley is an award-winning journalist who has written about cars and motor racing for every major publication in Australia.
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Copyright © 2023 Speedcafe.com This site is protected by reCAPTCHA. Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Lotus offers its Le Mans 2030 Active Vision aerodynamic panels, a fighter jet-like cockpit and electric four-wheel drive.
Lotus doesn’t seem keen on too much mandatory driver-assisted racing tech, with the E-R9 offering driver control of torque vectoring and active aero.
“A racing driver driven part car and part fighter plane”: this is how Lotus describes the new E-R9 design study. The Hethel, UK-based carmaker is preparing for the future of endurance racing by fast-forwarding through nine years of technology development and imagining what Le Mans could look like in 2030. The vision involves ultra-sleek racing cars and inspired by aircraft with fast speeds. body panels with aerodynamic optimization and Evija-derived high-power electric drives with advanced torque vectoring.
Lotus didn’t just choose 2030 as a good round year in the future. The date marks the 75th anniversary of Lotus’ Le Mans debut in 1955, when a team including company founder Colin Chapman raced the Lotus Mark IX. The “9” in the Endurance Racer studio name also pays homage to that car.
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More than a visual study created by bright-eyed designers, the E-R9 emerged as a collaboration between the Lotus design and engineering teams. Richard Hill, chief aerodynamicist of Lotus, was involved in its conception; Louis Kerr, Technical Director of Geely Group Motorsports International GT and Lead Platform Engineer for the Evija; and Russell Carr, Lotus Design Director.
“What we’re trying to do is push the boundaries of where we are technically today and extrapolate into the future,” commented Richard Hill. “The Lotus E-R9 incorporates technologies that we hope to develop and make practical.”
Those technologies start in the upcoming Evija hypercar, which provides the basis for the future race car’s electric powertrain. Like the 1,973 hp (2,000 hp) hypercar, the drag racer has four independent drive wheels and torque vectoring. The vectoring system draws next-generation driver input for a more human-driven racing experience that relies less on machine intervention. The powertrain also benefits from nine years of battery development.
“Battery energy density and power density are developing significantly year on year,” explains Louis Kerr. “By 2030, we will have mixed cell chemistry batteries that give the best of both worlds, as well as the ability to ‘hot swap’ batteries during pit stops.”
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The real piece de resistance of the E-R9 and looking towards the future is its transforming body. Located along the delta wing section of the body profile, the transforming body panels actively change shape to precisely adapt the vehicle’s aerodynamics to air and track conditions. Available through both driver selection and automatic sensor control, the shape-changing panels minimize drag on straights and maximize downforce in corners. Further enhancing performance, the vertical control surfaces at the rear are adjusted to provide sharp directional changes not limited by tire contact patch grip, hence the fighter pilot comparison.
We’ll have to wait until 2030 to see if drag racing cars end up resembling Lotus’s E-R9 vision, but the seed that planted that vision will begin to grow much sooner. Lotus plans to start production of the Evija this year.
Chris joined the New Atlas team in 2011 and now serves as the Car & Camper Editor, traveling extensively to gather the latest news on cars, outdoor sports equipment and other innovations designed to help people experience and enjoy the world they live in. surrounds you see above is the car that will bridge the past and the future of racing, and it may be the most exciting thing to happen to motorsport in decades. This is the Green4U Panoz Racing GT-EV, an all-electric racing car destined to compete in next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, motorsport’s most grueling endurance test. The car will be entered for consideration as the race’s ‘Garage 56’ – a relaxed-rules ‘exhibition’ space that is reserved for a car that showcases innovative new racing technology.
While other electrified vehicles have competed at Le Mans (hybrids have won the last 5 races and are expected to win this year’s race, which takes place this weekend), the GT-EV would be the first all-electric car to attempt the race. In 2014 Nissan entered the “ZEOD RC” as the Garage 56 entry in the race, which was a hybrid with a battery large enough to do a full lap on electric power alone.
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A collaboration between the Panoz racing team and Green4U Technologies, the Green4U Panoz Racing GT-EV aims to be a competitor in the GT racing class, which pits modified road cars against each other (as opposed to the “prototype” classes which are specially built races). not intended for the road). Typical cars in the class are the Porsche 911, Corvette, Ford GT, Ferrari 488, etc. While “Garage 56” entries typically compete as prototype cars, Green4U claims they intend to make a road-going version of the GT-EV in the future. .
The car’s specs haven’t been finalized, but it’s expected to have 530-600 horsepower, a top speed of 175-180 mph, and use all-wheel drive from two electric motors, front and rear. The car should weigh 2,200-2,750 pounds when finished, including the battery. It’s clear they haven’t finalized the type/size of battery they’ll be using, given that their weight estimate has such a wide range. To reduce weight, the body is made of carbon fiber and, because the battery takes up most of the right side of the car, the passenger compartment is shifted to the left side of the car, with the driver and passenger arranged in a “jet fighter” . cabin style.
These specs (notably the weight) likely won’t carry over to the road-going version of the car, if it’s ever made, though Panoz says the car would end up costing between $100,000 and $200,000.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans race is one of the most famous races in the world, and is considered the most difficult race for both car and driver. The cars have to run for 24 hours straight, only making occasional pit stops for refueling and tire changes, and each team has three drivers who swap driving duties. At the end of 24 hours, the winner will have traveled over 3,000 miles/5,000 kilometers, the vast majority of which is at full throttle. The race is full of dangers, with mechanical failures and accidents being very common. It is the ultimate test of speed, efficiency and reliability, for both car and driver.
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Contrast this with current offerings in electric racing. Quarter-mile and single-lap times for EVs are great, but a race requires more than that.
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