Tuesday 3rd July 2012

Electric Goodwood record for Drayson Racing

B12/69V Le Mans prototype showcases new tech and 850hp

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A Le Mans prototype built by Drayson Racing Technologies recorded the fastest time for an electric car up the Goodwood hill at the weekend. The B12/69EV, piloted by Drayson MD Lord Paul Drayson, recorded a 53.91-second run which was quick enough to make it the 11th fastest car at the Festival of Speed hillclimb (and no doubt somewhat quicker than Riggers...).

but while this isn’t as fast as you may expect from an 850hp prototype racer, some interesting technology features on the B12/69EV.

One of its innovations is electrical regenerative damping. Similarly to regenerative braking, it harnesses the energy produced by a working component of the car to create more electricity for the drivetrain. In the Drayson’s case, this will be through the dampers, utilising the thousands of movements they make dealing with road surfaces to produce energy. Moreover, this should not compromise the driving experience in a way that regenerative braking can; cars equipped with it can feature a brake pedal that makes judging stopping power difficult. As damping doesn’t require a direct input, Drayson’s system should allow for the regeneration of electricity without any drawbacks.

The B12/69EV is also equipped with inductive charging capability. This allows the battery to be boosted through charging patches on the floor, saving time over it being plugged in. Drayson plans to compete in the FIA’s new Formula E championship (starting next year) in which four fifteen-minute sprints will be separated by recharging periods of half an hour. This naturally places the emphasis on fast battery charging, so the B12/69EV should excel here.  

Finally, whilst Drayson is understandably very proud of its new technology, it hasn’t explained its naming strategy. We’re assuming ‘EV’ stands for electric vehicle but, as for the rest, your guess is as good as ours…

[leeson660]

I bet that sounded fantastic

Off to watch more 962 vids!

Edited by leeson660 on Tuesday 3rd July 19:47

[y2blade]

Why the thumbs down?


Imho this is fantastic news

[dino ferrana]

Saw something about Nissan setting a record with the Leaf going backwards up the hill too? Sign of the times which will no doubt get all of the Clarkson believers frothing at the mouth with rage.

Personally I appreciate the engineering and innovation that is going on in this sector. Regenerative dampers sound awesome, although I expect the energy recovery is actually fairly limited.

[FourWheelDrift]

Naming strategy? The car is a Lola B12/60 LMP car, they have variants of it with different numbers. This is another.

[tuffer]

Is this dual fuel? Not sure if its the same car but I saw a LM car launch off the line in Electric mode and then the engine kicked in halfway down the first straight. Probably the fastest get away I saw all weekend.

[300bhp/ton]

y2blade said:

Why the thumbs down?


Imho this is fantastic news

+1

[gionascm2]

I think this is a really fantastic news.

[dino ferrana]

tuffer said:

Is this dual fuel? Not sure if its the same car but I saw a LM car launch off the line in Electric mode and then the engine kicked in halfway down the first straight. Probably the fastest get away I saw all weekend.

Tuffer, I think that sounds like the Infiniti concept car that was there. That is a plug-in hybrid I believe.

[thinfourth2]

But what if the driver lived in a flat and had to go and visit a sick relative at 3am in the morning after the run

When its snowing

[mrmr96]

tuffer said:

Is this dual fuel? Not sure if its the same car but I saw a LM car launch off the line in Electric mode and then the engine kicked in halfway down the first straight. Probably the fastest get away I saw all weekend.

I think the Toyota hybrid LMP1 cars used electric only when entering and exiting the pits at le mans, so may have been one of those?

[jds32]

y2blade said:

Why the thumbs down?


Imho this is fantastic news

My thoughts aswell.

[JWarren98]

Fair enough it doesn't make a great noise (although it was on par with the Audi R18) but it looks good and goes well.

Just because they're making an 'Electric Championship' doesn't mean the Petrol/Diesel cars are going to disappear.

[anniesdad]

I wondered whether it was Lord Drayson's old LMP chassis converted to electric only.

http://www.draysonracingtechnologies.com/projects/...

This confirms that it is, rebuilt following a massive crash in the ALMS. Gotta admire Lord Drayson for his spirit and desire to race at the LM24 even though he's blind in one eye.

from me.

[E38Ross]

this is really good news. if this could filter down to road cars it can only be a good thing.

[herebebeasties]

Saw this up close on the Thursday with all the innards exposed, and again on the Friday going up the hill. The attention to detail in the build is just fantastic - none of the slightly rough edges you often get on prototype racers like this.

It made the most fantastic futuristic whooshing noises. Loved it. Have some photos I will dig out later.

[t1grm]

"Finally, whilst Drayson is understandably very proud of its new technology, it hasn’t explained its naming strategy. We’re assuming ‘EV’ stands for electric vehicle but, as for the rest, your guess is as good as ours…"

Isn't B12 from the Lola B12 chassis it's built on?. No idea what the 69 bit stands for. It's a bit saucy maybe

[KDIcarmad]

Wait for the noise moans, lack of. Modern car do not sound like they use to, why should they. Electric car will play a part in the future, why not race them. This will probably be seen in the future as a very old fashioned car.

They will be design round better batteries, better motors and better understood problem unique to electric race cars. Still if these races are fun and exciting how cares what they use as power.

[Dave Hedgehog]

just needs a slot in the track and a pole under the car to fit in the slot


zero interest ...

[jon-]

I saw this go up the hill, along with the electric bike. Sure, impressive, but sadly totally unemotional.

At one point there was a Eurofighter doing a display while the F1 cars were going up the hill. A FIGHTER JET AND F1 CARS AT THE SAME TIME. The noise alone was simply sublime, and my poor little brain couldn't really cope with all the stimulation and I ended up feeling dizzy and oddly happy in my pants.

I'm not sure how similar I am to "average joe", but the big appeal of going to watch motorsport live is the noise. You just can't beat it. And this is why EV makes me sad.

[dandare]

dino ferrana said:

Personally I appreciate the engineering and innovation that is going on in this sector. Regenerative dampers sound awesome, although I expect the energy recovery is actually fairly limited.

On the contrary. On Britain's potholed roads (as I keep reading, not actually living there anymore myself) there should be a lot of energy reclamation.

I also appreciate the innovation involved. I will miss the sound of powerful engines (should it sometime go that way), but if the performance is eventually comparable, I don't mind.