By EDWARD TAYLOR May 31, 2008; Page A4
FRANKFURT -- BMW AG is developing hybrid technology for a Formula One race car to hit the track next year, according to Mario Theissen, motor-sport director at the German auto maker.The team is responding to new rules presented in March by Formula One's governing body, the Paris-based Fédération Internationale de L'Automobile, which will allow Formula One teams to boost the power of their cars using fuel-saving -- including hybrid -- technologies."From 2009 BMW will use hybrid technology in Formula One," Mr. Theissen told guests assembled for the opening of a new BMW dealership in Frankfurt late Thursday. Other Formula One teams are expected to explore similar technologies.The FIA says it issued the rules to make new fuel-saving technologies the only way that Formula One teams can increase the power of their engines, giving a boost to research into technologies that can be used in the broader car industry to cut carbon-dioxide emissions that cause global warming. Car manufacturers, many of which sponsor Formula One teams, are under pressure to reduce emissions and improve fuel-efficiency.Currently, Formula One cars use normally aspirated gasoline-powered engines, which means they don't use turbo boosters or superchargers. A Formula One car can use as many as about 18 gallons of fuel for every 62 miles traveled.Under the new rules, auto makers can add an electric motor to provide as many as 60 kilowatts of electric power for a period of as long as six seconds at a time, which translates to about 80 extra horsepower, the BMW spokesman said.Among the technologies BMW is exploring is "regenerative braking." Electricity is generated in the brakes as the car slows and is stored in batteries or supercapacitors. The power can then be released as needed to drive electric motors that add acceleration on top of the gasoline engine, the spokesman said.BMW is currently experimenting with individual components including lithium-ion batteries and supercapacitors, and plans to have a hybrid car ready for testing this summer, according to the company.Although the extra technology involves additional weight, it won't affect the overall weight of Formula One cars under current rules. That is because the current minimum weight allowed for a car and driver is about 1,331 pounds. Because of advances in lightweight-construction methods, Formula One cars are often now lighter than the minimum weight limit, forcing some of the auto manufacturers to add as many as 110 pounds of ballast weight to their cars. The hybrid technology being tested at BMW is likely to weigh less than 110 pounds, the spokesman said, and therefore won't push the car over the 1,331-pound minimum."We believe it will be a competitive advantage to have these technologies," the BMW spokesman said.
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