22/08/2011
NEWS STORY
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Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG) has revealed further details of its plan to make history on 29 August by setting a new electric vehicle (EV) lap record on the demanding 12.9 mile Nurburgring Nordschleife.
TMG's high-performance electric powertrain will power the car as it aims to significantly improve on the current lap EV record of 9:1.338. Based on unofficial testing and depending on weather conditions, TMG expects to hit lap-record pace immediately, with additional days scheduled as back-up.
The TMG electric powertrain uses two electric motors to deliver peak power of 280kW and a top speed of 260km/h with zero emissions. That makes it ideal to power any future single-make electric motorsport series and TMG will begin commercial sales of its electric powertrain technology in 2012.
Total weight of the two-seater sports car is just 970kg, including the lithium-ceramic battery which allows for nimble handling around the demanding Nordschleife, essential for setting a competitive lap record.
"We want to demonstrate the high level of performance which can now be reached with an electric powertrain," said TMG General Manager Electric & Electronics, Ludwig Zeller, "not only in motorsport terms but as part of TMG's existing development work on road car EV technology.
"There is no more evocative place to illustrate this performance than on the Nordschleife," he added. "Our target is to beat the existing record by more than just a few seconds because that will demonstrate just how far our technology has developed since TMG began working on KERS systems in 2007. Many people are still dreaming of an electric future for motorsport; at TMG we believe this is much closer than some think and we intend to show what can be achieved with a high-performance electric powertrain."
As Pitpass previously reported, with the Japanese manufacturer leading the way in terms of environmentally aware vehicles for the road, the Nurburgring record attempt could be seen as the first step in a return to F1 particularly in view of FIA environmental initiatives such as the E Championship and the plan to introduce all electric power in the (F1) pitlane for 2014.