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Formula one should ditch the internal combustion engine

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dpeilow

Well-Known Member
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May 23, 2008
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Winchester, UK
Formula one should ditch the internal combustion engine | Environment | guardian.co.uk

Are electric Formula 1 cars a possibility? Yes. Electric cars can have extraordinary acceleration, very high top speeds and a range that is only dependent on the weight of the battery. The new Tesla, designed and partly built at Lotus in Norfolk, UK has a top speed of 130 mph (and it could be more if it weren't speed limited) and an acceleration of 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds. Its driving range is over 200 miles. Unlike a supercar of the same specifications, its fuel cost is a penny or so a mile.
 
I've been saying for years that the best thing for EV's would be a race circuit like NASCAR or Formula one.

Look what happened to development of the internal combustion once they started racing at Daytona beach in the 40's and the drag scene in the 50's-60's.

Tesla should put together an IROC type event with top drivers from around the world in the Roadster at Road America or Laguna.
 
I am of the opinion that battery swap services are not likely to be practical or cost effective for the general public in their personal cars. But I think they make a lot of sense for a racing environment. It would be cool to see battery swaps done quickly by a NASCAR type pit crew while the tires get changed.



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I am of the opinion that battery swap services are not likely to be practical or cost effective for the general public in their personal cars. But I think they make a lot of sense for a racing environment. It would be cool to see battery swaps done quickly by a NASCAR type pit crew while the tires get changed.
I feel pretty much the same as you. However making a quick swappable battery pack makes racing even more expensive. A race environment is a good place for high power fast chargers and a good way to test the fast charge capabilities of some of the newest technologies such as Altairnano and A123. Shorter races wouldn't be horrible either :cool:
 
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I feel pretty much the same as you. However making a quick swappable battery pack makes racing even more expensive. A race environment is a good place for high power fast chargers and a good way to test the fast charge capabilities of some of the newest technologies such as Altairnano and A123. Shorter races wouldn't be horrible either :cool:
You may be right, but racing is pretty expensive to begin with. Plus I'd rather watch a battery swap which, if properly engineered, a pit crew could accomplish in seconds rather than waiting around for even a only few minutes for a battery to charge. You might still want fast charging so you can top off the spare battery while the car is still on the track. So really it could push both technologies.
 
Plus I'd rather watch a battery swap which, if properly engineered, a pit crew could accomplish in seconds rather than waiting around for even a only few minutes for a battery to charge.
Here you go:
The UKP20,000 TTX01 - 86 BHP, Electric 2WD Motorcycle
TTX01 Electric Superbike was showcased at a press conference for the 2008 NEC Bike Show. Built to demonstrate the potential of electric sports motorcycles for the first emissions-free Grand Prix, the initial prototype is based on a Suzuki Suzuki - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia GSX750 frame and running gear and runs two 43 bhp Agni Lynch Electric motors arranged in line with the frame. Together, the motors produce 125 Newton Metres of torque and both have been modified to withstand high RPM using Kevlar Kevlar
t.gif
-reinforced armatures. The vision is to create a lightweight, carbon fiber framed 2WD TTX02 with "hot swappable", 20 kilowatt hour battery packs, regenerative braking and a production run of 50 machines in 2010 with a target price of UKP20,000.
 
Right now, the 20 killowatt hour battery pack weighs in at 75 kilograms, and fully charged, at road speeds, that should give the bike around 50 miles - obviously everything is geared around completing one lap of the 37 mile TT circuit at race speeds, but talking in roadgoing terms, the recharge time with a standard 13 amp power supply is under two hours."

The mass of this battery pack seems quite light for its capacity- i.e. a very high specific energy of 266Wh/kg. Also, at 240V there is no way a standard (UK) power supply could charge this in under 2 hours.
 
This looks relevant here:
Launched: WX10-T all-electric race car - AutoblogGreen

west-race-cars-wx-10-at-pri.jpg

It sports a 150kW motor and will offer several different battery pack size options. For racing longer distances, the battery packs are designed to be swappable and it is estimated to take about 45 seconds to make the switch and change the tires.
From their website:
West Race Cars - West Race Cars - Latest News
The sleek new WX10-T race car will produce speeds of over 150 miles per hour, powered solely by leading edge battery/electric drive systems supplied by KleenSpeed Technologies Inc. of NASA Research Park at NASA Ames Research Center, California. Initially with a 45 minute race capacity, the cars are designed to incorporate a “quick change” battery system, allowing them to ultimately compete in long endurance racing events. An endless list of automotive performance and safety innovations have resulted from car racing over the past century, and the WX10-T is anticipated to be the first of a new breed of electric race cars to use competition as a development platform for sustainable automotive technology.
wx10-t-13.jpg


Looking at the pictures (AutoblogGreen) their car appears relatively simple: forced air cooled motor with what looks like a single speed chain drive.

wx10-t-4.jpg


I'm not sure how easy that LCD would be to read during a race. In addition to that, I'd add a standard cable driven speedometer.

wx10-t-5.jpg
 
Awesome. 45 second battery change? I'm sending this to Jeremy Clarkson :smile:


Seriously, if this can complete 45 minutes at race speed, then it should be possible to campaign it at Le Mans with a similar pit stop frequency to the others (typically the LMP cars stop every 12 to 13 laps and 12 laps is 101 miles). A quick charger would allow one battery set to be charged while the other was on the track.

I wonder if the organisers can be persuaded to allow electrics in the LMP2 class, like they allowed diesels in LMP1. It would not be too hard to make this compliant.

Imagine what it would do for EVs to complete a 24 hours with (perhaps) only two sets of batteries being used.
 
Did you mean DC/AC converter? Cause I wouldn't think you would need to convert to if you are using DC.
-Shark2k

Most EVs include a DC/DC converter to step down "traction pack" battery voltage to 12VDC for accessories. For instance to take 400V down to 12V to run the radio, turn signals, etc. This DC/DC converter replaces the function an alternator would have in an ICE vehicle. I think Tesla has a standalone DC/DC converter up front, but I gather the ACP150 box includes a DC/DC converter inside their big controller box.

Another thing to note, Tesla's PEM is now digital motor controls, whereas ACP uses analog circuits instead. Tesla has made some serious improvements to the original design they started with from ACP. If Tesla made their drivetrain available to race car builders it would probably be a better system than the ACP box.