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Jaguar's next-gen Formula E race car packs more power
The next wave of Formula E cars is finally trickling out, and it's clear they're considerably more exciting this season. Panasonic Jaguar Racing has unveiled the next generation of its racer, the I-Type 3, and it's a dramatic improvement even compared to Jag's last outing. The new machine is 25 percent more powerful than its predecessor without a significant change of weight, producing as much as 250kW (330HP) with a 0-62MPH time of 2.8 seconds. That's important when the league is introducing an "attack mode" that boosts the power to 225kW when a driver just has to overtake a rival.
Roborace's self-driving car isn't faster than a human (yet)
Ever since Roborace unveiled plans for driverless track cars, there's been a lingering question: can its technology outpace a human? The answer is a solid "no..." for now. The company used the recent Formula E race in Rome to pit its DevBot prototype car against pro drifter Ryan Tuerck, and the fleshy driver was clearly the frontrunner with a roughly 26-second lead -- you can see him claiming victory in the video below. That's still in the ballpark of what you'd expect from humans, but they wouldn't be lining up sponsorships after that kind of performance.
VW unveils electric race car built to tackle Pikes Peak
Volkswagen is delivering on its promise of an electric car powerful enough to conquer the Pikes Peak hill climb. It has formally unveiled the I.D. R Pikes Peak, and the design is very clearly tailor-made for the job -- it looks more like a Le Mans machine than the relatively pedestrian I.D. models you've seen before. The company still isn't offering specs beyond four wheel drive. However, it's still determined to break the existing Pikes Peak electric vehicle record of 8 minutes and 57 seconds, which suggests it will have a monstrous amount of power. The current holder, a Drive eO PP100 driven by Rhys Millen, mustered 1,596HP.
VW's Seat unveils the first fully electric touring-class race car
You've seen electric Formula cars, Le Mans racers and even a Pikes Peak machine, but there's still room for more firsts in EV racing. VW's Seat brand has unveiled the Cupra e-Racer, which it says is the first completely electric touring-class race car. It's built on the existing Cupra Leon TCR design and promises the kind of performance you'd expect in this category: it can muster 402HP of continuous power, and 670HP at peak.
Volkswagen is building an electric supercar to tackle Pikes Peak
Last month, Volkswagen laid out a roadmap for its EV rollout, promising 300 zero-emissions vehicles by 2030. While it's certainly good PR to move the company beyond its lingering diesel scandal, it also follows other automakers that recently committed to electric vehicle fleets. But to really seal the deal, VW has a new stunt in the works: It's creating an all-electric sportscar for next June's Pikes Peak high-altitude race in Colorado.
Infiniti prototype melds a 1940s race car with EV power
As a rule, electric car concepts embrace the future. Even those with a retro flavor are clearly products of the 21st century. Don't tell that to Infiniti, however -- it's going deep into the past. Nissan's luxury badge has unveiled the Prototype 9, an EV whose design unabashedly recalls 1940s race cars (particularly those from Auto Union). And it's not just the long nose, spoked wheels and massive front grille that pay homage -- the prototype was even built using traditional techniques. Inside, of course, it's very much the product of 2017 know-how.
Audi drops Le Mans in favor of Formula E
Here's an unusual turn of events: Audi is dropping its best-known presence in motorsports. The car maker is terminating its FIA World Endurance Championship commitment, which includes 24-hour Le Mans races, in favor of a Formula E factory-backed team. If you ask executives, it's about reflecting long-term goals. Audi's regular cars are going electric in ever-larger numbers -- when its race cars are "technological spearheads," they have to go electric as well. The company already has a partnership in the league, but it'll have technical involvement from 2017 onward.
Electric race car sets an acceleration world record
Electric cars are quick off the mark as a matter of course, since they're both very efficient with energy and always operate at peak torque. You probably haven't seen a road-going machine this fast, though. Swiss students have shattered the world record for EV acceleration with an experimental race car, Grimsel, that reached 62MPH in 1.513 seconds -- over two tenths of a second sooner than the previous best. For context, the 1,480HP Bugatti Chiron hits that speed somewhere under 2.5 seconds.
Watch Stanford's self-driving Audi hit the track
Sending a self-driving race car around a track with nobody inside seems pointless -- there's no driver to enjoy the ride, and the car certainly isn't getting a thrill out of it. But the students performing research with Stanford University's Audi TTS test rig "Shelley" (not to be confused with Audi's own self-driving race cars) are getting a kick out of the numbers generated by the machine. "A race car driver can use all of a car's functionality to drive fast," says Stanford Professor Chris Gerdes. "We want to access that same functionality to make driving safer."
Faraday Future unveils its FFZero 1 supercar of the future
Faraday Future has unveiled the FFZero1, a concept car that the firm promises will spearhead a complete revolution in the way we drive. "What would happen if we just started clean?" the company's flashy promotional video asked the assembled audience here at CES 2016. The Zero1 is a single-seat race car that, it's likely, will quickly become an object of desire for car fans worldwide. As for its looks, you won't be surprised to see that the craft is pretty much what we saw in the leaked renders from earlier in the day.
Jaguar returns to racing with its first all-electric car
Jaguar hasn't been involved with motorsports since it offloaded its Formula 1 team to Red Bull, but it's about to come back in a big, big way. The automaker has announced that it's working on an all-electric car (its first) that will compete in Formula E's third season, which kicks off in fall 2016. Jaguar is saying precious little about what that racer will be capable of, but the entry is possible because the beleaguered Trulli team is backing out of the league, leaving room for a new entrant.
Panoz wants an all-electric, arrow-shaped car racing at Le Mans
Panoz's arrow-shaped DeltaWing car concept technically hit the race track last year when Nissan's ZEOD RC prototype participated in Le Mans, but it wasn't exactly a dream come true. Nissan was no longer part of the DeltaWing program at that point, and the ZEOD RC completed just a few laps -- only one of which was under electric power. The automaker isn't deterred, however. It's planning to field an all-electric DeltaWing racer at Le Mans, and it intends to go the full 24 hours. Not that this will be easy. The planned swappable battery would only let the EV run for 50 minutes per charge, so Panoz could replace power packs 29 times during the event unless it takes advantage of weight savings to load up on extra batteries. As it stands, Le Mans already has racers in the experimental Garage 56 class lined up through 2017 -- Don Panoz and company can afford to take their time getting it right.
Ride shotgun in this 360-degree Le Mans video
Sure, 360-degree video is practically old news at this point, but we've never seen an example that works as well as this. To coincide with the Le Mans 24 Hour endurance race, Nismo (Nissan's motorsports division) has uploaded a 360-degree lap of Circuit de la Sarthe, the course that plays venue to the contest. Although it's probably more immersive on your PC or laptop, we'd recommend also watching it through the YouTube app on your phone or tablet, as you'll be able to use your device's gyroscope to move the camera in any direction you chose.
Touch Racing 2 is a lot of fun to play
Touch Racing 2 is a free game for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. It requires iOS 5.0 or later, and is optimized for iPhone 5. Touch Racing 2 gives you the option to participate in speedcar, offroad, and boat ladder races against seven other computer controlled radio controlled vehicles. The user interface is one of the coolest for a racing game I've ever played. I liked the use of your fingers, positioned on each side of your screen, to drag the path for your R/C vehicles to take. It was a lot easier to control than the typical directional pad controls. This allows you to have a great advantage over the rest of the field, and a much better chance at finishing in first place. Cornering your R/C vehicles can be a bit difficult at first, but with enough practice you'll be drifting with the best of them. The speedcar ladder races rocked as you're allowed to whip around corners drift style, and earn nitro boosts throughout your two lap run. The offroad ladder races are a bit more difficult, but they are blast. The boat ladder races are a lot of fun because they're much different than the speedcar and offroad races. Daily races are extremely competitive, so bring your A game each day. It's a great way to quickly pickup more gold coins. The daily races feature the fastest speedcars, offroad, and boats. I preferred the speedcar races because I did the best at them. I didn't play the multiplayer head-to-head races because it required me to log into Facebook, so it could search for other Touch Racers to compete against me. I admit, this is a clever way to get other people hooked on the game. There are three different boss races where you face the speedcar boss, C.J., offroad boss, Norma, and boat boss, Wade. Make sure you've participated in enough daily races etc so you can earn gold coins to upgrade each one of your vehicles, or else you won't be able to compete against the bosses. Diamonds can be picked up a lot faster if you race and defeat the bosses. Touch Racing 2 offers up four tiers of excitement. You can only advance to the next tier if you've defeated the boss of each race with each R/C vehicle. When you earn gold coins and diamonds, you'll be able to upgrade the chassis, engine, body, tires, spoiler, and customize your R/C vehicles. Diamonds can be used to earn special items in the prize machine. The trick is you have no idea what you will receive. If arcade style R/C racing is your thing, then this is your game. Make sure not to overlook Touch Racing 2 for free in Apple app store because you won't regret it.
Formula E details Spark-Renault's SRT_01E electric race car
If you plan to watch the inaugural Formula E season, you'll want to get used to the race car shown above -- you'll see a lot of it. That's the just-unveiled Spark-Renault SRT_01E, the official electric vehicle that all 10 Formula E teams will use next year. The car melds a Spark Racing Technology design with a McLaren-sourced, 270BHP equivalent motor based on that of the P1 supercar. Williams supplies the batteries, while Renault is responsible for tying all the systems together. As you'd imagine, this first-generation ride has its limitations; drivers will have to swap cars in the middle of an hour-long race, for example. Still, the FIA is quick to remind us that the SRT_01E won't last beyond the 2014 season. Formula E is an open championship meant to advance EV technology, and manufacturers are likely to produce faster or more efficient cars in the future.
Honda teases upcoming NSX with Concept-GT hybrid race car
Honda's got a lot riding on the upcoming 2015 NSX hybrid (which will be sold in the US as an Acura). When it launched in 1990, the iconic first generation NSX took the sports car market by storm with an impressive (and affordable) combination of performance, comfort, design and build quality. Production ended in 2005 with the company shifting its focus towards hybrids and other green vehicles. As such, Honda enthusiasts have eagerly been awaiting the NSX replacement. While the new flagship is still being developed, the company just announced the NSX Concept-GT, a hybrid race car which is designed to compete in the Japanese SUPER GT series (GT500 class). Unlike the street version, which features a mid-mounted V6 and three electric motors, the Concept-GT boasts a 2.0L turbocharged direct-injection I4 paired with a "racing hybrid system". When it launches next year, the technology-packed NSX will compete with vehicles like BMW's i8 plug-in hybrid and Lexus' LF-CC.
Nissan shows off 185 mph ZEOD RC electric prototype, plans to race it at Le Mans
Nissan's just pulled the covers off its fancifully styled ZEOD RC race car that may eventually hit speeds of up to 300km/h (about 185mph). Though the acronym stands for "zero emissions, on demand," the vehicle could end up being a hybrid model that switches between gas and EV modes (as opposed to a pure electric car) by the time it hits Le Mans in 2014. Regardless, the company's Nismo racing division (creator of the all-electric Nismo RC) plans to enter it in the so-called Garage 56 class of the famed race, reserved for vehicles that showcase breakthrough technology. While the company flaunted the design at Circuit de la Sarthe in France today, the car won't start trials until later this summer, after which the final drivetrain will be chosen. Prior to hitting the track, though, it'll have its work cut out just to top Toyota's P001, the current EV lap-speed champ.
McLaren to supply EV groundwork for Formula E cars, take pro racing electric
McLaren isn't a brand that most would associate with eco-friendly motoring. That very nearly makes it a surprise to see the supercar builder throw itself wholeheartedly into performance EVs with a new deal for Formula E racing: it's supplying all the motors, electronics and transmissions for Spark Racing Technology-made cars to be used in the pure-electric league's inaugural 2014 season. Full technical details await, but the championship's choice of noise-sensitive urban racetracks guarantees that we won't hear attempts to recreate an F1 engine's high-RPM buzz anytime soon -- we're more likely to hear the tire noise. We'll deal with any lost romanticism if it means giving Formula E, and performance EVs, a healthy dose of credibility.
GreenGT H2 eyes-on: the first fuel cell-powered racer to tackle Le Mans
The 24 hour race at Le Mans held every year is among the most punishing automotive tests on the planet: race-bred machines running top-speed (or close) for a full day. Recently, gasoline-powered cars have had their dominance usurped by diesels, who themselves are now losing to hybrids. The next step? It could be EVs. The GreenGT H2 will take the grid of next year's 24 hour race as an experimental entry, driving the full race distance pushing only water vapor out its tailpipe. Hydrogen is stored in the two large tanks running down the sides, while the massive fuel cell stack itself is situated behind the driver. Power output is somewhere north of 500 horsepower, which is quite healthy for a car that the company hopes will be down under 1000Kg (2,200 pounds) by the time it hits the track in anger. Enough to win Le Mans? Almost certainly not, but it'll be fun to watch it try. Steve Dent contributed to this report.
Visualized: the history of the Formula 1 car in 60 seconds (video)
Formula 1 car technology has come a long way since it first hit the asphalt banks 62 years ago. It's been hard to convey the sheer amount of change in a succinct way, but Rufus Blacklock may have nailed it in exactly one minute. Abstract versions of the cars show us the progression from the bullet-shaped cars of the 1950's through to the low-slung, wing-laden beasts we know today. If the clip is a little too F1-fast, there's also an infographic that details exactly when certain technology changes came into play, starting with the first wings in 1968 through to modern (and at times controversial) introductions like KERS in 2009. Click past the break for the video, and check out the relevant source link for a quite literal big picture.
