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9th
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From press release
German car manufacturer Audi continues to set the trend with four-wheel drive technologies.
The brand already revolutionized rally racing with quattro four-wheel drive in the nineteen-eighties, significantly shaped touring car racing with this system in the nineties and then most recently introduced it onto the LMP1 sports prototypes scene.
In 2012, Audi became the first manufacturer to win the Le Mans 24 Hours and the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) with a four-wheel-drive LMP1 sports car. Up to now, Audi had been allowed to use four-wheel drive only above 120 km/h.
But four driven wheels promise to deliver traction advantages particularly at low speed, for instance when the driver accelerates on exiting a tight corner.
This year, because this speed-related rule no longer applies, the Ingolstadt firm developed a fundamentally new Motor Generator Unit (MGU) to put in its LMP1 prototypes.
“We've developed the entire hybrid drive from scratch again for 2014,” explains Dr. Martin Mühlmeier, Head of Technology at Audi Sport. “Specifically, it's become even lighter and more efficient than before.”
As of 2014, a single e-machine connected to a front-axle differential is longitudinally mounted. Furthermore, these front-wheel drive components are completely integrated into the monocoque of the R18 e-tron quattro. The recuperated energy is stored in a newly designed flywheel energy storage system.
German car manufacturer Audi continues to set the trend with four-wheel drive technologies.
The brand already revolutionized rally racing with quattro four-wheel drive in the nineteen-eighties, significantly shaped touring car racing with this system in the nineties and then most recently introduced it onto the LMP1 sports prototypes scene.
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| Quattro in rallying (Photo: Audi) |
In 2012, Audi became the first manufacturer to win the Le Mans 24 Hours and the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) with a four-wheel-drive LMP1 sports car. Up to now, Audi had been allowed to use four-wheel drive only above 120 km/h.
But four driven wheels promise to deliver traction advantages particularly at low speed, for instance when the driver accelerates on exiting a tight corner.
This year, because this speed-related rule no longer applies, the Ingolstadt firm developed a fundamentally new Motor Generator Unit (MGU) to put in its LMP1 prototypes.
“We've developed the entire hybrid drive from scratch again for 2014,” explains Dr. Martin Mühlmeier, Head of Technology at Audi Sport. “Specifically, it's become even lighter and more efficient than before.”
As of 2014, a single e-machine connected to a front-axle differential is longitudinally mounted. Furthermore, these front-wheel drive components are completely integrated into the monocoque of the R18 e-tron quattro. The recuperated energy is stored in a newly designed flywheel energy storage system.