As the second largest automobile manufacturer in Europe and a major player on race tracks around the world, one might expect impressive things from the country and the 2009 Peugeot 908 HY does have the potential to make a big impression when it hits the race track. Below is some information on what sets this car apart from the competition.
The Background of the Car
This new Peugeot was first unveiled in 2008 at the Le Mans Series at Silverstone. The car already had people talking because it was the first hybrid racing car created by the company and one of the first to ever hit the race track. The car is based on the popular racing vehicle the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP. The biggest difference between the models is the hybrid engine. Although the car could end up on the race tracks some time in 2009, the vehicle still has to meet Le Mans regulations for competing racers in order to be permitted on the track.
Part of the idea behind the car was, of course, to create a greener race car and possibly to serve as an inspiration for other manufacturers of racers. However, the company also viewed its development as a way to experiment with technologies that could eventually find their way into the Peugeot cars being driven on regular roads, too.
Three Power Methods
One of the most unique things about the Peugeot 908 HY is that it can be powered in three different methods. First, the car can run strictly on electricity when it is in the pit lane. Because of speed limitations, this would not be practical or feasible for driving on the course. Under other conditions, the car can run solely on an internal combustion engine powered by gasoline. Ideally, the Peugeot will run using a combination of both an electric power unit and the internal combustion engine. By using both engines, the car can become more fuel efficient over current models which can speed up the time in the pit lane and can result in “greener” racing.
Understanding the benefits of this particular car also require understanding how the electric power is going to work. The car was designed to make use of energy already released by the car but normally wasted in traditional vehicles.
When you apply the brakes in any car, you are releasing kinetic energy in the process. It’s this energy that allows the car to come to a stop. As you might imagine, faster speeds are going to resort in higher releases of kinetic energy. With the standard Peugeot, that energy was lost. In this model, the energy is captured for immediate use or for storage for later use.
The consequences of this system means the extra energy can boost the car’s performance without requiring extra fuel or the stored kinetic energy can be used to power the internal combustion engine in true hybrid form.
Main Elements of the Car’s System
To make the system work effectively, three primary elements have been used. First, Peugeot replaced the starter motor with a gear driven electric motor generator (60 kw). The vehicle comes with ten battery packs holding 600 lithium ion cells to store the energy. These are spread out through the vehicle so they do not adversely affect its aerodynamics. Finally, a electronic power convertor was added to facilitate the movement of stored energy in the battery packs to the motor generator.
This combination of elements allows the car to run on less fuel and to maintain the high performance required from racing vehicles.
Car Specifications
While information on pricing for this vehicle is not currently available, a few other specifications have come to light. Because the car has not made its official racing debut yet, full specifications are not currently available. Here’s what we do know:
• 5.5 liter V12 60 kW gear-driven electric motor
• 700 hp @ N/A rpm (this specification is currently incomplete)
As the car moves closer to its racing debut or as Peugeot begins releasing more complete information on the vehicle, the rest of the details will be available and we can get a clearer idea of the real power behind these vehicles.
The Future of Racing
Even though the information on this Peugeot car is not still sketchy, the manufacturer is clearly setting a precedent for other companies to follow. If the car maintains the performance and power of the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP while also maintaining better fuel efficiency, it should be impressive.
