Industry News
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<< October 07
News for 21st November 2007
BMW Motorsport director calls for rethink on spec F1 ECU
Mario Theissen, the director of BMW Motorsport in Munich which owns the Hinwil, Switzerland based BMW Sauber Formula One team, has called on the FIA to rethink its technical regulations requiring the use if a standard issue electronic control unit (ECU) on F1 engines starting in 2008.
Theissen expressed concerns that the standard ECU would not only not be cost effective but could also limit the effectiveness of environmentally friendly technologies such as kinetic energy recovery systems which are due to be introduced in F1 in 2009.
Theissen said, "We have voiced various objections to the introduction of standard electronics. The process of converting cars, engines, gearboxes and, indeed, test rigs has generated considerable extra costs.
"And there is an even more important argument against the standard ECU going forward. Nowadays not just the car as a whole, but every single technical system is equipped with complex control electronics tailored specifically to the function of that particular system.
"The electronics represent the nerve centre, without which the system would only be capable of limited functionality or would not be able to function at all.
“Our aim is to make F1 a pioneer in drive technology for the series-produced road cars of the future. Looking further ahead, a system is under development which regenerates energy under braking, stores that energy and, when the driver accelerates, puts it back on tap alongside the power from the combustion engine.
“Highly sensitive control electronics are required to coordinate these processes efficiently and ensure driving safety under all circumstances, so tailored electronics are essential if we really want to develop the potential of this system, for example."
Ecclestone criticises Silverstone (again…)
Formula One impresario Bernie Ecclestone has again criticised the UK’s Silverstone race circuit which stages the Formula One British Grand Prix and also described the money being spent on bringing the Olympic Games to London in 2012 as ‘wasted’.
Speaking at the launch of the official DVD review of the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship Ecclestone said, "Britain is supposed to be the heart of Formula One racing and our circuit is bottom of the list.
"With a tiny percentage of what the government are wasting on the Olympics, they could support Silverstone."
Ecclestone also expressed his dismay that London’s successful bid to stage the Olympic Games was at the expense of a planned F1 Grand Prix on the streets of the UK capital.
He said, "Things were sorted out very nicely in London. Mayor Ken Livingstone was very helpful and we laid a plan out of what we could do.
"It would have happened, it was just a question of where the money was going to come from. It would cost a small amount compared to what they're spending on the Olympics. If they look at it from a pure business point of view, all the revenue it would bring in, I just don't understand why it isn't happening."
IRL team owner to address AFV conference
Bobby Rahal, co-owner of the Rahal-Letterman Racing team which competes in the US based Indy Racing League, is to deliver a keynote address at the 14th annual Alternative Fuels & Vehicles conference which takes place in Las Vegas, USA on May 13, 2008.
The conference featuring 125 exhibitors is organised by the AFVi which is an education provider and information link between the alternative fuels and vehicles industry and public/private fleet industry.
The Rahal-Letterman IRL team is sponsored in part by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC), a nonprofit alliance of ethanol industry leaders which aims to grow consumer demand for ethanol energy through targeted marketing and public relations.
Citroen Sport director retiring
Guy Frequelin will step down from his position director of Citroen Sport, the competition arm of the French volume car manufacture, at the end of 2007. Formerly a rally driver in his own right until he retired from competition in 1987, Frequelin has headed Citroen Sport since 1989 during which time it has enjoyed many successes including FIA World Rally Manufacturers Championship wins in 2003-04-05 and drivers championships in 2004-05-06. He will be replaced by Olivier Quesnel who is currently the managing director of the Hommel press group, although he previously worked at Peugeot Sport.
Toyota Supra hybrid wins Race Engine of the Year award
The powertrain of Toyota Supra HV-R which became first hybrid car ever to win a race at the Tokachi 24-Hour event in July, has won the Race Engine of The Year 2007 presented by the UK published magazine Race Engine Technology.
By entering hybrid systems into racing events, Toyota engineers anticipate discovering ways to make hybrid systems (more famously fitted to the Toyota Prius production car), more efficient and lighter. This year’s race car was based on the Supra GT used in Super GT races in Japan, modified and equipped with a special racing hybrid system.
A four-wheel energy regeneration and drive system was adopted which includes in-wheel motors in the front wheels in addition to one 150 kW rear-axle mounted electric motor. Thanks to this energy regeneration system with three motor/generators, the vehicle can more efficiently recover a greater amount of energy during rapid deceleration and braking from high speeds.
Since racing involves repeated acceleration and deceleration under full system performance, a quick-charging capacitor system was adopted instead of the usual rechargeable batteries.
The award was presented at the recent Professional Motorsport World Expo in Cologne, Germany.
CAP launches Environmental Fleet Manager software
A software application offering fleet operators transparency on their fleets’ carbon emissions and indicating the most carbon efficient vehicle choices has been launched by the UK automotive data provider CAP.
CAP Environmental Fleet Manager measures the environmental consequences of existing fleet policy and permits vehicle comparison, identifying the most carbon-efficient cars and car-derived vans. Alternatively, the tool can also be used to assist in determining carbon offset costs. All parameters are user-definable.
Originally designed to help contract hire and leasing operators to provide additional support for their customers, CAP Environmental Fleet Manager is also advocated as a customer-facing tool for car dealerships.
EEMS announces call for 2008 research projects
Environmentally Efficient MotorSport has given advance notice of the EEMS call for energy efficiciency projects for 2008. Priorities will be alternative powertrain applications, hybrid technologies, fuel flow based regulation and alternative fuels. Typically, £10,000 - £20,000 will be available for any specific project.
Those interested in applying for EEMS support should contact EEMS at .
Full details of the call will be posted on the EEMS website on 3rd December.
Daimler is overall winner of 2007 Michelin Challenge Bibendum
With a total of 23 distinctions, Daimler AG emerged as the most successful participant from this year's Michelin Challenge Bibendum sustainable mobility competition in Shanghai. Seven cars from the Mercedes- Benz and smart brands faced over 70 competitors in the categories of acceleration, maneuverability, noise pollution, local pollutants, fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions (‘tank-to-tyre’).
The Mercedes-Benz E 300 BLUETEC, which made its European debut only recently, finished in first place in the 170-km rally for production cars. Distinctions for the best design went to the smart fortwo cdi in the production car category as well as to the Mercedes-Benz F 600 in the prototype car category.
The distinctions won by Daimler vehicles were:
- Mercedes-Benz E 300 BLUETEC
Four distinctions overall (categories: acceleration, maneuverability and local pollutants, as well as winner in the production car rally)
- Mercedes-Benz E 200 NGT
Four distinctions overall (categories: acceleration, local pollutants, fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions)
- Mercedes-Benz A-Class F-Cell
Three distinctions each for the two participating cars (categories: local pollutants, fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions)
- Mercedes-Benz F 600
Three distinctions overall (categories: local pollutants and CO2
emissions, as well as Design Award in the prototype car category)
- smart fortwo mhd (micro hybrid drive)
Two distinctions overall (categories: noise pollution and local pollutants)
- smart fortwo cdi, operating on synthetic BTL (SunDiesel biofuel)Four distinctions overall (categories: noise pollution, fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions, as well as Design Award in the production car category)
This year, the Challenge Bibendum was staged in Shanghai from November 14 until 17. Its more than 3,000 participants include manufacturers, suppliers, energy companies, private and institutional research and development operations as well as some 450 international journalists.
Volvo Ghent truck plant becomes carbon-neutral
Volvo Trucks’ plant in Ghent, Belgium is the first vehicle assembly plant in the world that is completely free from carbon dioxide (CO2), the company has reported. “Our ambition is to make all our plants CO2-free plants and Ghent is the first,” says Volvo CEO Leif Johansson. “It is not an easy undertaking, but we are prepared to try different alternatives to achieve our goal for CO2-free production in our plants.”
In 2005 the Volvo Group committed to transforming the Volvo Trucks plant in Tuve, Sweden into a CO2-free vehicle plant and work is currently in progress on the completion of the local planning and an application for environmental permits has been prepared. The Volvo Trucks plant in Umeå is also undergoing transformation to become CO2-free.
Three wind turbines on the Ghent site will cover half of the plant’s electricity requirements. The remaining electricity supply is certified renewable energy supplied by Electrabel. A new pellet-fired biomass plant supplies 70% of the plant’s heating requirements and energy for the combustion process is provided by solar cells on the roof. The remaining 30% is provided by an oil-fired boiler that was converted to burn bio oil. The Ghent plant has an annual production of 35,000 trucks, and 2,500 employees.