Audi commits to 2010 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup with R15+ TDI
Filed under: Diesel, Audi, Racing
Allan McNish in Audi R15+ - Click above for high-res image gallery
Ever since the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) announced the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup early this year, Audi has remained non-committal about participating. Actually, Audi has been non-committal about everything this year except for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Now, more than two months after coming away with its ninth victory in the French race, Audi has announced that it will run the R15+ TDI in the three-continent series starting next month at Silverstone in the UK.
After the British race, the diesels from Audi will join the Peugeot 908s for the trek to Road Atlanta for the Petit Le Mans before finishing with a six-hour run at Zhuhai in China in November. Audi has stuck with sports car racing because it is the only major international motorsports venue that allows cars to run a variety of different fuels and drivetrain technologies. The R8 was the debut platform for turbocharged direct-injected gasoline engines before Audi introduced its TFSI engines in road cars and the R10 and R15 have allowed Audi to demonstrate the performance and efficiency advantages of its diesel engines.
In 2011, the ACO is will officially allowing hybrid power-plants. The American Le Mans Series currently has four different fuels in use: E10, cellulosic E85, biobutanol and, of course, diesel. The flywheel-equipped Porsche 911 GT3R hybrid will also be running at the Petit Le Mans.
[Sources: Audi]
Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4 - Click above for high-res image gallery
Peugeot's first production hybrid is finally coming to market next spring, but most of the technical details are out now. The 3008 Hybrid4 is the first light-duty diesel hybrid to come to market - it is also the first through-the-road (TtR) hybrid. The midsize crossover uses a system that consists of a fairly conventional 163 horsepower 2.0-liter inline-four diesel engine driving the front wheels and a 37-horsepower electric motor at the rear axle that operates completely independent of the internal combustion drivetrain.
The diesel drives through an electronically controlled and mechanized six-speed manual gearbox that can either be shifted manually or left in full automatic mode. A more powerful 8 kilowatt high-voltage integrated starter-generator on the engine provides automatic start-stop capability as well as the ability to charge the nickel-metal hydride battery from the engine.
When the battery has sufficient charge, the electric motor alone can propel the 3008 at lower speeds or provide on-demand all-wheel-drive. The rear-mounted motor also provides regenerative braking to charge the battery. The combined output of the two powerplants? 200 hp and 369 pound-feet of torque. The mechanically simpler TtR hybrid drive allows Peugeot to produce a less expensive diesel hybrid than would be possible with a power-split system like the one used by Toyota, all while taking advantage of the highway cruising efficiency of compression ignition. The 3008 Hybrid4 is rated at 61.9 miles per gallon (U.S.) on the EU combined driving cycle with CO2 emissions of just 99 grams per kilometer. Eventually, Peugeot will also add a plug-in version of Hybrid4 with a lithium-ion battery. Click past the jump for the full skinny after looking over our high-res gallery below.
Gallery: Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4
[Source: Peugeot]
2009 BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Concept - Click above for high-res image gallery
A production sports car based on last year's BMW Vision EfficientDynamics concept will reportedly debut at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show and come to market by 2013. According to Germany's AutoBild, the car which they refer to as the I100 (as part of BMW's project I which is also spawning the MegaCity EV) will be powered by a hybrid powertrain much like the one in the concept.
A 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine (possibly a diesel) paired with an electric motor based on the architecture of BMW's mild hybrid 7 Series would drive the rear wheels, while a second motor would drive the front wheels. A lithium ion battery pack is earmarked to provide electrical energy storage, although it's not clear if the plug-in capability of the concept would be retained.
According to Autobild, it's also possible that we'll see an M variant of this car using the 450 horsepower twin-turbo inline-six from the next generation M3 along with set of supercapacitors instead of a lithium battery pack.
Smyth Performance G3F concept - Click above to watch video after the jump
Reduce-Reuse-Recycle is the tri-directive that could help us become more sustainable as a society. Soon, a kit for the G3F from Smyth Performance - a new venture by Factory Five Racing co-founder Mark Smith - will follow those guidelines, enabling you to convert a previously-enjoyed Volkswagen Jetta into something you can really look forward to driving. The finished product will be lighter, faster and burn less biodiesel than the original vehicle, offering up to 60 miles per gallon and boasting a very naughty top speed of 140 miles per hour. All for about $10,000 and under 100 hours of labor.
It's a simple recipe. You start by procuring a diesel-burning Jetta TDI four-door sedan. Cut away about 800 lbs. of metal, reusing a large chunk of the chassis, including the entire safety structure. The engine gets chipped, modded and moved from in front of the driver to behind. Add the body, seats, wheels and all the other included bits from the kit and voila! You now own a recycled VW that increases your joy of driving while reducing the amount of petroleum product you'll need to pump.
Ok, maybe we're making it sound a little easier than it actually is, but Smith is confident there is enough interest to make a go of it with a line of depositors already being formed. Despite deliveries (optimistically) planned for September, the original prototype is still under construction. The operation doesn't have an official website either - that's coming this Fall - but you can follow the progress of both car and company on Facebook and the unofficial Factory Five forum. Hit the jump for video of Mr.Smith explaining his concept and tell us what you think.
[Source: Boston.com]