“Racing improves the breed. » This old automotive maxim has long had meaning. However, the link between performance on the track and on the road has blurred considerably over the years, especially since racing cars have become increasingly specialized and subject to technical regulations that aim to improve ” the show.” Consider Denny Hamlin's NASCAR race car, a V-8, rear-wheel-drive Toyota Camry: other than its name, it has absolutely nothing in common with the front-wheel-drive family sedan that we found at Toyota dealerships across the country.
However, you might think that the technologies used in Formula 1, where racing teams spend hundreds of millions on performance improvements measured in thousandths of a second, would be even less close to the cars we can buy today. But that would be wrong, according to Adam Allsopp, director of the Advanced Technology division of Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains (HPP). Its Advanced Technology team is working to integrate HPP's expertise into the development of Mercedes-Benz electric (EV) and hybrid vehicles that we will see on the road next year.
Since 2010, Mercedes-AMG HPP, located in Brixworth, in the heart of the UK's so-called F1 Valley, has designed and manufactured powertrains for Mercedes-AMG Formula 1 racing cars. Founded in 1983 by engineers Mario Illien and Paul Morgan with funding from Roger Penske, the company first designed engines for Penske's IndyCar team before producing its first engine of F1, a 3.0-liter naturally aspirated V-10, for the Japanese team Leyton House in 1991. In 1993, a version of this engine powered the Mercedes-backed Sauber cars, which marked the beginning of the official return of Mercedes in F1 the following year as engine supplier.
HPP powertrains have won 21 world championships over the past 30 years, including seven drivers' titles for Lewis Hamilton and eight F1 constructors' championships for the Mercedes-AMG team. According to Allsopp, HPP's chief engineer, designing hardware that produces such results is HPP's raison d'être: “We have a clear mission: to win. »
But how does this translate into building better road cars? “It's not just a matter of saying 'we're going to develop this in Formula 1 and then put it straight into a production car',” says Allsopp. “It’s not so binary. There are more nuances. Formula 1 allows us to explore the art of the possible and learn the absolute limits of certain technologies. » Although Mercedes F1 racing cars may look radically different from Mercedes-Benz production cars, Allsopp argues that their engineering, particularly in the era of electric vehicles, is based on common themes. “We want efficiency in racing because we are limited in terms of fuel and energy flow, just like we want efficiency in road cars to maximize their range,” he says.
Allsopp also points out that HPP has been using two key EV road car technologies for ten years, namely 800V electrical architecture and silicon carbide inverters. “We have also gained extensive experience with software challenges and calibrations of high-performance electrical machines,” he says. This know-how was used to develop the hyper-efficient powertrain of the EQXX concept, which then influenced the powertrain design of the EV version of the upcoming Mercedes-Benz CLA.
Additionally, Allsopp says racing at the highest level, where success or failure is measured in fractions of a second and broadcast to the world almost every weekend, also allows engineers to be agile, focused and intensely competitive. “We apply this motorsport mindset to innovative and ambitious technology projects,” says Allsopp. “We are a resource for Mercedes-Benz R&D. A resource that thinks differently and challenges conventions. »
Inside HPP, which was once headed by the current president and CEO of Mercedes, Ola Källenius, one feels an atmosphere closer to Silicon Valley than to Stuttgart. “We are looking for curious, creative and tenacious engineers who are ready to explore interesting and relevant technologies,” adds Allsopp, who recognizes that not being constrained by the broader realities of the automotive industry gives his organization great freedom of thought. and innovation. “This is not a replacement for the advanced engineering work done at Mercedes-Benz R&D. We can focus on specific elements, and that's where we make the difference. »
One of the areas of intensive study by HPP Advanced Technology engineers is the development of inverter and power electronics technologies. “Inverters and power electronics are where the big advances in EVs will be in the near future,” says Allsopp. “The rate of change in cost, capacity and size of inverters will be much faster than that of electric motors. The price of power electronics will decrease, their size too, and they will be a key driver of increasing the range of EVs. » Much of the work focuses on improving the quality of the sine wave produced by power electronics, which cuts DC current from the battery and reconstitutes it into AC current to power electric motors. A better AC wave means less losses in the system when sending power to the motors and when returning that power to the battery. “We are pursuing this 'cycle efficiency' in Formula 1,” says Allsopp.
There is no denying that Allsopp believes that, through Mercedes-AMG HPP, Formula 1 is helping to improve the performance of future generations of Mercedes-Benz production cars in a meaningful way for consumers. “In a way, Formula 1 has a simple beauty,” he concludes. “Everyone has the same set of rules, and they're quite restrictive, which allows for a focus on engineering to improve performance and efficiency within those settings. Not everything can be translated to the world of road cars, but some elements can. And that's what we're trying to do. »
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