First ever hybrid win @ 24h of Le Mans - Audi diesel hybrid

[MetroMPG]

After qualifying, the top 6 positions on the starting grid were held exclusively by the hybrids (4 Audis, 2 Toyotas).

At the end of the event, the 2 Toyotas were gone (1 taken out by a Ferrari; one mechanical failure following contact with Nissan's efficient experimental Deltawing car), and the Audi hybrid won.

While both the Audi and Toyota employ hybrid powertrains, a first for endurance prototypes, each go about it in very different ways. The TS030 makes use of a naturally aspirated 3.4-liter V8 while the R18 e-tron Quattro uses a turbocharged diesel V6. Audi's hybrid system powers the front wheels, hence the Quattro name, while Toyota's [...] will drive the rear wheels.

Toyota TS030 and Audi R18 E-Tron Quattro pose for the camera

Both cars used flywheel systems to capture energy via regenerative braking & release it back to the drivetrain for added power.

[ecomodded]

Outstanding for Audi,and Hybrids in general
win on Sunday sell on Monday.



The last 30 min.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7VXXx8JLws

[MetroMPG]

Here's another video - in-car from the Audi (3 minutes).

Notable:

- you can really hear the regenerative braking (if you've ever driven a hybrid or EV, you'll recognize it immediately, though this is industrial strength regen!)
- the diesel engine is relatively quiet

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yuxKw1aDmM

[user removed]

Green Car Congress: Audi R18 e-tron quattro hybrid with flywheel energy system wins Le Mans; first hybrid win there

regards
Mech

[NeilBlanchard]

It's a flywheel/electric system -- the regen generates electricity to spin the flywheel, and then the flywheel generates electricity to power the front wheels. They had a turbo diesel V6 in the rear.

The Toyota system was an electric motor on the rear wheels (along with the gas V8) and it used supercapacitors to store the energy.

For 2014 ALL the LMP1 cars have to be hybrids, I think.

[Daox]

Wow, from that video it looks like the R18 hybrid is completely dominating the cars its passing...

[user removed]

I think it may not be well understood how much of most driving scenarios can be covered by high efficiency regeneration and reapplication of short term energy storage and application. Even in street scenarios, outside the racing events, how much power do you really need to have available. This is something I have given many hours of thought and my conclusion is you need to have the capability to recover most of one 70-0 event, versus miles of battery capability.

Not for prime source power application (whether battery electric or liquid fuel consuming). That can be accomplished by many different methods of energy storage, without exception.

With a highly effecient CAPACITIVE regeneration system, technology has advanced to the point where you can realistically expect to see 80% of the energy potential available for reapplication.

One of the KERS systems used a pure flywheel and CVT for that energy reapplication. You would think that the LeMans racers would be at a disadvantage due to the weight of the components compared to the non hybrid racers, but it seems like the additional weight is overcome by the additional power available from the KERS system. One of the few places on a racetrack where another 20-25% power will get you an advantage is coming out of the turns.

This is where racing situations differ from street driving, but the difference is the racer will not stop but must slow down, while the street car will eventually be forced to stop completely. With the energy losses involved in a complete stop basically amount to one 60-0 stop loosing the energy it takes to move the same vehicle .7 mile at 60 MPH, most hypermilers avoid stopping like the Plague. Conservation of momentum is a crucial part of increasing average mileage.

I wonder what a 1st generation Insight would be able to do as far as mileage compared to the original configuration. Remember that pulse and glide, especially in a very aerodynamic vehicle, can be beneficial at any legal speed.

While there is always a point where the total energy demand exceeds the benefits of a pulse and glide technique, with better aerodynmaics like Basjoos' Civic, the threshold of P&G effectiveness is increased. This is because lowering the total energy demand also places the engine (or motor) in a less efficient state of operation.

Understanding this is the key to the necessity to develop systems that offer the capability to cycle the engine on and off, even at speeds of 70 MPH.

regards
Mech

[Daox]

Originally Posted by Daox

Wow, from that video it looks like the R18 hybrid is completely dominating the cars its passing...

Just talked with a le mans savy coworker and he explained that there are several classes of cars on the track at the same time thus explaining this.

[NeilBlanchard]

Yes, there are 4 classes in the current rules; and the DeltaWing was a fifth experimental class.

In the previous rules there were as many as 7 classes of cars on the track all at once, I think. In the past, there was as much as 100MPH difference in top speed, but now it is less than that. They introduced the chicanes in the Mulsanne Straight to slow the cars down after a few went airborne when they crested the rise... They were hitting speeds up to 380kph (236 mph) (the Longtail Porsche) and then the engines were limited. They were peaking at over 1,500HP...

The LMP1 are by far the fastest class -- they have LOTS of downforce and they can do the high speed turns at blinding speeds; though the GTP and GTA cars (the production based cars) have higher mechanical grip and are closer in speed in the slower turns.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic

Even in street scenarios, outside the racing events, how much power do you really need to have available. This is something I have given many hours of thought and my conclusion is you need to have the capability to recover most of one 70-0 event, versus miles of battery capability.

That's 'cause you live over on the flat side of the country. To be a realistic car hereabouts, you need to be able to climb about 5000 vertical feet of 7% grade, including some acceleration out of hairpin curves. That's quite a bit more than one 0-70. From my experience, it's about twice the Gen 1 Insight's battery pack capacity.