It appears that now even race car fans can enjoy their hobby while doing their part to help the environment. Both Toyota and Audi have recently released prototype hybrid racers. Both of these vehicles will make their debut into the racing scene later this year.
The Audi R18 e-tron quattro, besides sounding like something from a science fiction movie, is the world’s first all-wheel drive diesel hybrid endurance racer. According to the article cited above, I can now use the words “diesel”, “hybrid”, and “awesome” in the same sentence.......thanks for that. This vehicle uses electric motors to store energy from braking. It can then use that energy, at speeds above 75 mph, to assist the vehicle’s diesel engine.
At this time, less is known about the Toyota hybrid racer. It appears to work in a similar fashion by collecting and storing energy from the vehicle’s brakes, engine, exhaust, and even the suspension system. The stored energy is then used to increase fuel efficiency or “deliver a boost in power”.
I find it interesting to see these companies dedicate their resources to developing hybrid vehicles for potentially the smallest class of the driving public, high performance race car drivers. I am no expert, but I feel safe in assuming that no matter how fuel efficient you make a race car........it is still not going to be fuel efficient. This seems like a bad business decision. I fail to see a reason for a hybrid race car. Not when there are a significant number of people in the general driving population who would drive a hybrid if the technology was developed to produce a reasonably priced vehicle. If your goal is to provide fuel efficient vehicles to the public at least partly to help the environment, Hybrids racers seem like a better idea once the bigger market is tapped.
Now I understand that much of the technology behind developing a hybrid race car probably overlaps with the technology used to manufacture a hybrid for the general public. In fact, it is conceivable that testing the boundaries of a hybrid vehicle in such a manner will do a great service to the development of an affordable hybrid for the general driving public. If this is the case, I am much less alarmed. The articles I read did not touch on this.
Ultimately, at a critical time when the hybrid vehicle is potentially positioned to go mainstream, developing a hybrid racer seems like a risk. My position remains the same: Vehicle manufacturers, quit playing with your toys and build me a hybrid vehicle I can afford.
Cites:
http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2012/02/29/audis-awesome-diesel-hybrid-racer/?cmpid=cmty_{linkBack}_Audi%27s_awesome_diesel_hybrid_racer
http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2012/01/19/toyota-hybrid-racer-hits-track/?cmpid=cmty_{linkBack}_Toyota_hybrid_racer_hits_the_track
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