Ford is planning to campaign a hybrid rally car in the 2013 World Rally Championship. Not only has the Blue Oval been pushing for FIA regulations to allow hybrids, they claim to already have a system that’s easy to implement in their rally cars.
“Introducing hybrid technology is something we need to look at for the future. I think we need to be looking at it for 2013. I’m not an engineer but I think there’s a degree of taking this one off the shelf at Ford. We’re not trying to re-invent the wheel here. Obviously, there’s a balance of how to make the weight work and things like that, but we need to be looking at running the car between stages and into service without the engine,” stated Gerrard Quinn, Motorsports Manager at Ford Europe.
“We haven’t put a date on it. We’re talking about possibilities. We’ve got lateral thinking going on. Hybrid is talked about and when there’s enough to work with and have a race – one hybrid car doesn’t prove anything. But if you’ve got three or four they can race and compared with the normal car. We absolutely need this, but it’s a case of doing it properly,” Morrie Chandler, WRC Commission president responded.
Citroen, defending champion and the only other manufacturer in the WRC, had tested out a C4 WRC hybrid but never sent one out to compete before.
Officially, Ford says it’s striving to run a sustainable and environmentally friendly team, and things taken into consideration include the use of sustainable materials, substance management (interior), life cycle global warming potential (CO2) and life cycle air quality potential (other emissions).
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hopefully FIA dont do anything silly with the rules again…
A1 should look at this as an opportunity to revive their credentials after that sordid episode of their “World Cup of racing”. Pffft.
Hybrid street production racing, with challenges made to prove which car make is the most greenest. Race wins should remain as a point scoring method, but also look at the consumption of gasoline/electricity through out the race to decide winners.
Pah i should use this idea myself.
WRC’s KERS version
Aiyah, go turbo diesel is soooo much more environmentally friendly than hybrid electric.
The total process of mining, shipping, manufacturing & disposal of batteries are so much more toxic than a turbo diesel.
If Ford really wants to go environmentally friendly, then bid for hydrogen fueled cars. Renewable & recyclable resource, zero emission, environmentally friendly.
it not 100% true n not 100% wrong..from my reading experience.. battery = electricity and hydrogen + chem reaction = electricity…..while battery bout 90% efficiency hydrogen fuel <50% efficiency due to energy transfer. high efficiency when operated at low power density, and using pure hydrogen and oxygen as reactants.the process producing hydrogen (water, air, natural compound) produce net increase in CO2…..logical to say y must we produce electricty if we can just plug in to get electricity..simple rite… hydroden fuel is not zero emisson, not environmentally friendly…but the electric is zero emission n envi friendly
additional info Phosphoric-acid fuel cells + CHP system combined efficiencies close to 90%(35-50% electric)
The thing is, we tend to look at our part of the equation, ie. the daily usage & how much less fossil fuel we use in a hybrid.
However, taken as a total sum, the mining+shipping+manufacturing+disposal of batteries is so highly toxic and if this was added into your daily usage, it will negate all the so called savings that you have earned.
The marketing & advertising guy wants you to see the benefit of your part but fail to mention the total cost & effect cos’ they want to sell a product. No marketing & ad guy will tell you the cons, only the pros. They have to sell a product after all.
All I’m saying is that by looking at the big picture, you’ll understand why hybrids are a bad idea for the environment. I’d rather have a turbo diesel, which may sound like not environmentally friendly but taken the whole sum into account, is probably more environmentally friendly than the hybrid.
people in auyomotive are serious in controlling emission..but the goverment seems only saying that green world,,green wold…but the forest are getting demolished for development..multiple of houses and shops..really uncontrolled..now in an residential area shops are more than houses…pls do something to this,,,goverment…
Yes..! WRC Rock..! more WRC news pls..
I think better to drive turbo diesel, like Audi & Peugeot did in Le mans.. FC is more better and easy to maintain compare to hybrid.. Rally cars should be easy to maintain and easy to go… Just think of having an extra weight of a huge battery in ur car adding weight… Is that fun for a rally car?
Hybrid / EV batteries should get better if the paper battery technology is improved and put to commercial use. But I don’t see that happening for at least 5 years.