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Formula 1 Cars Set to Go All Electric in the Pit Lane From 2013 Onwards

Posted April 29, 2011 1:08 PM

From Engadget:

Formula 1, the pinnacle of gas-powered racing, is more often at odds with the eco-conscious electric car movement than in tune with it, but here's an exception to that rule. The FIA, the sport's governing body, announced back in December of last year a move to a hybrid four-cylinder turbocharged engine, which is still on track to be introduced in the 2013 season, and Williams boss Adam Parr has now enlightened us on some of the benefits of the new power setup. Noting that future cars' kinetic energy recovery system will be four times as powerful as on current models, Parr says enough electric juice will be available to power each one-seater through its journey into and out of the pit lane. That would mean that at least for the tame, speed-restricted portions of a race, the F1 gas guzzlers you know and love will be humming along in almost perfect silence while using good old electricity. Unfortunately, it's exactly that lack of vroom vroom that old timers like Bernie Ecclestone and Ferrari chief Luca di Montezemolo are afraid of, describing the new hybrid stuff as sounding "terrible" and insisting on the sport sticking to its V8 roots. Then again, as Parr says, if you don't move with the times, the times leave you behind.

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#1

Re: Formula 1 Cars Set to Go All Electric in the Pit Lane From 2013 Onwards

04/29/2011 11:39 PM

This is a disappointing development. I sympathize with Mr. di Montezemolo.

I could spend the rest of this evening polishing an essay about this; but I fear I would be preaching to the choir. Instead I will spend some 10 minutes vocalizing my position to the squirrel that visits our bird feeder each morning. This will be a more efficient use of my time. ...........Ed Weldon

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#3
In reply to #1

Re: Formula 1 Cars Set to Go All Electric in the Pit Lane From 2013 Onwards

04/30/2011 8:35 AM

Ed I'm a gearhead from a long way back. I know what you're talking about but I disagree. F1 has brought us disk brakes, ceramic breaks, lightweight components, etc. F1 was never intended to solely be for entertainment. It's a marketing tool just like the Superbowl or the Oscars. It's also the ultimate testing ground for innovation, some of which ends up in the cars we have today. Without this constant push for better, stronger and faster we'd still be all driving with 1950s technology. Not that I'd mind driving around in a 55 "Shoebox" and a big block!

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#5
In reply to #3

Re: Formula 1 Cars Set to Go All Electric in the Pit Lane From 2013 Onwards

04/30/2011 8:14 PM

Precisely the point Fredski and a GA from me.

F1 racing in particular seems to me to be the perfect development platform for hybrid technology. Limit everybody's fuel tank size to a fixed volume. The benefit/deficit trade off will be decided not by philosophical engineering analysis but by who crosses the finish line first more often. I'm certain that the initial racing hybrids will suffer from unforeseen complications. But the racing/research environment will eventually prove if hybrids are a real savings or just a "feel good" marketing ploy.

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#2

Re: Formula 1 Cars Set to Go All Electric in the Pit Lane From 2013 Onwards

04/29/2011 11:57 PM

I watch F1, mosty due to track and not turning right. Hate NASCAR. Dumb. I understand it costs $11,000.0 per race for fuel, but, noting has the same punch to run a 2.5 mile track 66 laps. So now what, front wheel drive from pit lane to track then punch the gas 12 cylinders up? The tollerences of those engines will not allow it to do that. They will have more engine failures than ever. The engines can not cool at all. Where do you put the batteries? How do you disconnect the front drive? I see serious issues, not to mention serious safety issues and nothing but an INDY car bunch happening here. I'd love to have a fully functioning electric car. I've been building Electric boats for years. I can not afford the batteries to give me the distance required to get home from work. I can get there, just can not get home. But given the cost of gas now from remembering paying $.14 9/10 when I was a stupid kid that had a Mach 1 and blew through $5.00 in gas just driving through town a few times. Out ran several Troopers in my day. Now, forget it, cost to out run a trooper would be a paycheck with that car. We need a 1100 Lb car, and 1700 lbs of batteries with a super charger that can charge the battery banks in 4 hours or less to be a viable solution. Or start making 1 person vehicles. Not motor bikes. Had them, did dumb stuff and I am still alive to talk about it. Oh what we did on them. Only John died. Amazing with what we did with them.

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#4

Re: Formula 1 Cars Set to Go All Electric in the Pit Lane From 2013 Onwards

04/30/2011 9:19 AM

I would imagine that the teams will figure out how to stay at the minimum weight & as close to the maximum output as possible,

since the storage is very short term it won't be traditional batteries, probably capacitor/battery hybrids

the development budget will be in the 10's of millions of $'s

sounds like fun to me

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#6

Re: Formula 1 Cars Set to Go All Electric in the Pit Lane From 2013 Onwards

04/30/2011 8:49 PM

And there I was thinking the idea was to recover breaking energy into corners, then deliver drive to the front on exit, thereby greatly advancing the re-acceleration throttle point without the tendency to loose the rear.

And what do ya know - it's all about pit lane - who would have thort?

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#7
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Re: Formula 1 Cars Set to Go All Electric in the Pit Lane From 2013 Onwards

04/30/2011 9:18 PM

Looks like both

chaos in pit lane is an ongoing area of concern

limiting exit power to just what can be recovered & stored

this kind of rule will be good to jumpstart development & add some green pr

F1 is marketing...

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#8
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Re: Formula 1 Cars Set to Go All Electric in the Pit Lane From 2013 Onwards

04/30/2011 10:59 PM

Given pit lane is speed limited in F1- I can't see 'silent cars' being a plus

The OP, to me is just another journalist 'diverting the point' to their level of comprehension and need for 'controversial sound bites'.

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#9
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Re: Formula 1 Cars Set to Go All Electric in the Pit Lane From 2013 Onwards

04/30/2011 11:05 PM

I couldn't find any reference to that part on the F1 site

so you're probably right just the typical bad blog entry

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#10

Re: Formula 1 Cars Set to Go All Electric in the Pit Lane From 2013 Onwards

05/02/2011 8:46 PM

The trouble with electric vehicles is that the batteries contain the energy in a ready to use form. Hydrocarbon fuels need air to release their energy and fuel bladders have been fairly good at controlling fires (this latest Aussie crash not withstanding http://www.inmycommunity.com.au/news-and-views/local-sport/Driver-cheats-death/7590430/)

Crashes with batteries have the potential for catastrophic release of all the batteries' energy (read explosion). There is going to need to be very careful development of safe batteries and their enclosures. This is a good thing, since the should feed back into domestic vehicles, but contrary to Fredski's thoughts on the subject just because ideas are used in F1 does not mean they are bound for the road. Fuel injection really only came to the street to meet emissions not performance. I had a four wheel disc braked Fiat from the 1970s, but I would guess the majority of cars still don't have discs in each corner.

Electric cars are a part of the future, to have a suitable formula to allow them to compete with mixed fleets (petrol, hybrid and electric) would be good but difficult to get right. Look at the trouble turbos and even two- strokes provide.

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