Toyota hybrid racer at Le Mans?
Toyota Japan is rumoured to be in a research and development phase of a hybrid racing car aimed at part in the 2010 Le Mans 24 hour endurance race. The vehicle will feature a battery storage unit of some kind, recharged by vehicle braking, and will most likely have a condenser that is able to rapidly generate and store recovered energy. Toyota aims, at present, to have this system reduce fuel consumption by 6%.Audi had the same idea – saving fuel – as a method of reducing the number of service stops and increasing chances of winning Le Mans. It did so with its R10 TDI racer, a 5 litre V10 diesel engine vehicle that trumped its petrol powered competitors due to, in part, its ability to stop less and combust fuel better. This “racing diesel” gave Audi enough technical knowledge to help it launch diesel versions of its TT and R8 vehicles at the Geneva auto show recently.
After developing its hybrid technology for racing, Toyota is certain to use it for passenger vehicles as well. With hybrid currently in the works by Mercedes-Benz, Audi and BMW, Toyota’s Lexus division could be a welcome beneficiary of sportscar hybrid technology as it take on the European titans.
Source: Daily Yomiuri Online
By Christie Viljoen
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