Wayne Gerdes - CleanMPG - Mar. 21, 2015
Audi’s 2015 R18 e-tron quattro
For the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours and the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season, Audi Sport thoroughly revised the R18 e-tron quattro. The company revised both the turbo diesel and KERS like hybrid propulsion and aero as it attempts to take Le Mans for the fourth consecutive year.
Audi is starting the 2015 season with a thoroughly revised R18 e-tron Quattro as it transitions into the 4-megajoule hybrid sports car class.
A twofold expansion of hybrid energy storage and release plus revised aerodynamics embody the fifth generation of the Audi R18.
Even with the new more stringent fuel consumption regulations put into place in 2014, Audi believes there is more refinement available for even more efficiency on the track.
Jörg Zander, Audi Sport’s new Head of Engineering:
Quote:
“The new regulations are far from having been fully exploited. We expect technological progress resulting from the competitive pressures will improve lap times this season while reducing fuel consumption.” |
Audi’s 2015 R18 e-tron Quattro LMP1 prototype
The new R18 e-tron quattro differs from its predecessor(s). Audi designed into the front end a new path for airflow around and through the front end, the sidepods and at the rear. Large air inlets in the front wheel arches reduce aerodynamic drag of the body and have led to an all-new design of the headlights. The lighting units feature Matrix LED technology combined with Audi Laserlight that Audi customers can now order for their production vehicles today.
The hood, front wing and wheel arches were also redesigned. The new airflow design through the sidepods and all-new radiator configurations for cooling the engine and the hybrid system further optimizes aerodynamic drag. Some for lower drag and some for more downforce. The engine cover encloses the vehicle even more tightly and notably tapers off behind the cockpit.
This year, Audi is again fielding their hybrid energy recovery system. This year, the engineers have doubled the amount of energy from 2 to 4 megajoules per race lap at Le Mans. During braking, energy is recovered which the system subsequently feeds back to the front axle on acceleration with up to 272 hp available, a significant increase compared to last year with an increase in energy storage system. The enclosed flywheel energy storage system located abreast of the driver can store up to 700 kilojoules of energy that it subsequently returns to the electrical machine – which is about 17 percent more than in 2014.
Despite these performance increases Audi has achieved the minimum weight of only 870 kilograms – notably in what is currently the world’s most complex racing category. The improved hybrid output, however, results in a restriction for the internal combustion engine. According to the sporting regulations the fuel-energy amount has to be further reduced if the engineers opt for higher hybrid output. As a result, the R18 e-tron quattro has to make do with 2.5 percent less diesel fuel per lap than in 2014.
Not least for this reason, Audi has further developed the 4.0L TDI engine by performing a lot of detailed work to achieve the optimized consumption levels. The most efficient power-plant in the field now delivers 558 hp. The turbocharger converts some of the thermal energy of the exhaust gas flow into electric energy that also flows into the flywheel energy storage system.
Another new rule this year states OEMs can only use five engines per race car throughout the entire season. Since 2006, lap times have continually improved while fuel consumption has decreased by 38 percent.
While most American race series provide little feedback into the cars and trucks we drive today or in the future, the Audi’s FIA-WEC entry’s leads directly to the cars that Audi fields today and in the future. Examples include TDI power plants, Matrix LED light, Audi Laserlight and soon electric turbo chargers. All prototyped and bulletproofed on tracks the world over.
FIA-WEC Preview - Audi R18 e-tron quattro Turbo Diesel Hybrid Is Even More Efficient
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