Racecar Engineering November 2021

It won’t be news to you that there is a lot of development work going on in the world of cell technology for traction batteries. The current trend with cell chemistries is for the high capacity cells to become higher capacity at the sacrifice of peak power, while the high power cells are becoming more powerful at the sacrifice of capacity. Lithium-ion based nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) cell technology is currently the most widely used for batteries in vehicle traction drive applications. However, this cell chemistry is approaching the practical limitations of the energy density of lithium-ion. Widely available high energy density lithium-ion cells have around 270W h/kg, and the practical limit is considered to be approximately 300W h/kg. Because of this, many high performance traction drive cell firms believe getting…

Lest the Spa GP debacle fade too quickly from memories, especially those who have the authority to make changes, it is worth examining what could be done to avoid a repeat. Firstly, however, the criticisms from public and media regarding the decisions on continually delaying, and then subsequently declaring the race run after just two laps behind the safety car, are understandable, but generally naïve. Yes, business and political concerns were as much part of this as the safety of drivers, track marshals and spectators given the awful conditions, but why is this regarded as wrong, or cynical? Of course much of the decision was about money! Where does Lewis Hamilton imagine his colossal retainer derives from, if not from this same financial structure? The realities of organising, promoting, running and participating in…

The series’ premise is not simply the show, but also documenting the state of the planet’s ecosystem [and] conducting environmental science research Extreme E’s founding purpose is to counteract climate change by accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles (EV) using motorsport as a platform to deploy and showcase EV technology. However, the series’ premise is not simply the show, but also documenting the state of the planet’s ecosystem, conducting environment science research and showcasing equality. If it sounds like a lot within one programme, it is. To make it all that much more challenging, none of the Extreme E racing locations have an established racing infrastructure. As such, all the equipment needed for the series is carried by the RMS St Helena, a decommissioned postal ship. It is also Extreme E’s operating base…

Extreme E, its drivers and partners actively seek to leave a positive legacy in all the areas they visit, from implementing renewable infrastructure to mass beach cleans. Known as the Legacy Programme, it consists of a panel of leading academics from the UK’s Oxford and Cambridge universities, which make up the Scientific Committee. This committee is driving the racing series’ overall climate advice and practice initiatives. The project… is part of the championship’s commitment to making a positive environmental difference at each race location Onboard the RMS St Helena are a team of environmental research scientists who document the state of the planet’s ecosystem at each event and conduct environmental scientific research. The data gathered by these scientists informs the development of climate change-countering technologies. Extreme E partners with firms that produce…

Extreme E’s nature means it needs a robust grip solution for the tyres to provide traction in the wild off-road environments in which it competes. The tyres must deal with sand, rocks, water, ice and mud, as well as extremes of hot and cold temperatures. The series turned to the Continental group for the answer, and the tyre company designed the CrossContact tyres specifically for this arduous challenge. Additionally, each Extreme E tyre is fitted with a wireless sensor array called ContiConnect, which provides the engineers with valuable insight into tyre inflation pressure and temperature in real time. This technology advantage allows the drivers to focus on driving while the engineers collect data to develop the car. As the drivers come from a wide range of racing disciplines, there’s every chance they…

A 100 per cent renewable fuel that will reduce CO2 emissions by at least 65 per cent The traditional Friday press conference at Le Mans heralded the announcement that fuel partner, TotalEnergies, will supply 100 per cent renewable fuel that will reduce CO2 emissions by at least 65 per cent for the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship. This was quite some claim, one that potentially would have a huge impact on the engine development teams in each of the classes as previous renewable fuels have different properties compared to traditional oil-based petrol. Not so, says TotalEnergies. It has worked to produce a fuel that mimics the petroleum competition fuel used this season. With more than 60 cars on the grid at Le Mans featuring a combination of turbocharged and normally aspirated engines, there is…