IN THE BEGINNING there was the race horse, followed by fossil-fueled engines, and now we’re about to see the first version of the renewable-energy powerplant in a race car. Now I grant you, I was one of those car guys that hated the idea of high speed golf carts. You know all zzzzzzzzz and no roarrrrrrrrr. But after taking my gig with The Auto Channel, and having had an opportunity to read more about what’s going on with various alternative-powered cars, I’ve begun to think differently. Mind you, part of the philosophical change is based on my pocketbook (give me a break; $4.69 a gallon for diesel - please!). But more importantly, I’ve gotten hooked on what Tesla Motors have been doing with their electric roadster (to learn more go here). Given that the little critter looks good, does 0-60 in 3 seconds, AND makes 200 miles per charge, I’ve begun to get over my problem - sexy, fast, AND responsible - who knew?.
As a result, I was drawn to an interesting headline this morning announcing; Lithium Technology Corporation Powers Hybrid Electric Supercar. Hmmmm, I thought; was Tesla about to mount a new racing version? But no, this particular opportunity offered more of a European flavor. It turns out that Gumpert Sportswagen, owned by German manufacturer Roland Gumpert, has developed a hybridized version of his Apollo Super Car. Furthermore, he intends to run the car at the Nurburgring 24 at the end of the month, with former F1 driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen in the seat.
(Above: No, that isn’t another Apollo in the middle)
The conventional car offers a 3.3 liter, dual-turbo V8 making 650 hp, and a top speed of 224 mph. But just to make it more interesting, Gumpert has bolted on a 100 Kw PHEV-mode converter that will power the car when the fossil-fuel engine is offline. According to Frentzen, “Motor sports cannot ignore the necessity to save energy. I see a chance that our sport will go back to the forefront of technical development, making cars outside of the racetrack much more energy efficient.” The car’s lithium batteries will be fully charged prior to the event, and subsequently charged by energy converted by the car’s braking system, producing an electric range of around 50 km.
(Above: Hmmm, where do my clubs go?)
Yeah, I know, only 50 km. But regardless of the system’s limited range, the concept will finally be tested on the race track, and everybody has to start somewhere. I figure that if the car shows promise at the Ring, we could see it at LeMans, but that is pure conjecture on my part. Nonetheless, with bio-fuel now in the Peugeot diesel, it would be an easy hop from Nurburg to the Mulsanne straight. Stay tuned, this might get interesting.
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