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| Renault Twizy F1 concept New |
The other day,
Renault teased a new electric concept car and we were
expecting to see something big - something at least similar to the
Alpine A110-50 Concept. Unfortunately, the new concept is quite
disappointing, at least aesthetically.
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| Renault Twizy F1 concept New |
The new Twizy F1 Concept has been developed on a single-seat racecar
platform and, according to Renault, it is "a bridge between the world of
F1 technology and that of production cars." The problem is that along
with the technology, Renault Sport also decided to use some F1-inspired
design elements that are just a little too much for the super-compact
Twizy.
While the look is something questionable, what lies under the hood makes
us completely forget about how wrong things went to Renault design
laboratory this time. The technology behind the concept was developed by
engineers from both Renaultsport and their colleagues at Renault Sport
F1 and it is essentially the same as the Kinetic Energy Recovery System
(KERS) used in the Renault Formula 1 cars.
Click past the jump to read more about the new
Renault Twizy F1 Concept.
Exterior
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| Renault Twizy F1 concept New |
The new Twizy F1 concept was inspired by Formula 1 cars on both exterior
and interior. The concept features a front splitter made in carbon
fiber, side-pods, rear wing and a rear diffuser. The side-view mirrors
were designed just like in a single-seat racecar and the diffuser
incorporates the rain light of a Formula Renault 3.5 car.
Interior
4.
On the inside, the rear seats from the standard Twizy have been removed
and replaced with the new KERS system. This latest one is visible thanks
to a transparent housing.
The new
F1 Concept borrowed the steering wheel from its F1 brethren, but
with the functions adapted for use on an electric vehicle equipped with
KERS.
There is also an "RS Monitor" data logging system that offers
information on the 0-to-50 km/h (31 mph) time, 0-100 km/h (62 mph) time,
and 50- and 100-meter standing start times.
Drivetrain
While the concept’s look is very questionable, the technology found
under the hood makes it worthy of its "F1-inspired" concept. Renault has
installed a KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) that helps recover
kinetic energy generated under braking. This energy is stored and then
used to boost power output, just as it is in Formula 1.
The KERS system features three main elements: an electric
motor-generator unit (MGU) directly linked to the driveshaft,
lithium-ion batteries and a KERS Control Unit (KCU).
With this system, the concept’s output can be instantly increased from
17 to 97 horsepower. The extra power is available for about 13 seconds.
With this boost, the concept can sprint from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in
rather peppy 6 seconds. Top speed, on the other hand, is still low at 68
mph.
Will it make it to production?
We highly doubt that the new Twizy F1 will make it to production, but
for sure its technology will inspire future electric vehicles from
Renault.
Competition
Smart Fortwo electric drive
doc461447>
The new Twizy F1 Concept is not the only electric car on the market. In
fact, there are lots of other vehicles that are totally functional. The
Fortwo electric drive is a small city car powered by a 55 kW
magneto-electric motor. This model can sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 11.5
seconds and can hit a top speed of 77 mph. It can travel up to 90 miles
on a single charge.
Though its top speed beats the Twizy F1’s, it takes nearly twice the time to get to 60 mph.
Source : www.topspeed.com
