Start of a new era: World Rally Championship starts with hybrid system
Motorsport pioneers: Since the start of the 2022 season, Schaeffler subsidiary Compact Dynamics has supplied all the manufacturers in the World Rally Championship with an innovative hybrid system. This means that the Rally1 cars in the FIA World Rally Championship WRC are powered by electricity alone when they tackle certain special stages. Schaeffler and its subsidiary Compact Dynamics are incorporating the know-how acquired in motorsport directly in series solutions in the field of electromobility – for example, in such areas as the e-axle, hybrid transmission and electric motors.
The World Rally Championship enters a new era in 2022. For the first time in its history, which stretches back almost 50 years, the WRC features hybrid cars. The innovative hybrid system comes from Schaeffler subsidiary Compact Dynamics. The regulations for the new Rally1 class are not only intended to achieve greater safety and equal opportunity, but also to promote the development of sustainable drive systems in the championship.
The demands on the hybrid system are particularly high. Unlike racing series like FIA Formula E and FIA Formula 1, which drive on specially designated and asphalted roads, the race calendar in WRC covers a very wide range of routes. Gravel, forest roads and dirt tracks alternate with conventional streets. The weather conditions rage from snow to extreme heat. The hybrid must not only work reliably in all these conditions, but also provide maximum power.
100 kW boost on special stages
At the heart of the new, future-oriented drive system in the World Rally Championship is the high-performance hybrid system from Schaeffler subsidiary Compact Dynamics. One of the big advantages is how compact it is; as well as the battery with 3.9 kWh capacity, courtesy of Kreisel Electric, the motor generator and steering unit are also housed in the smallest of areas. With a total weight of just 87 kg, the hybrid system is also relatively light. It is installed transversely in the Rally1 cars.
The system is primarily used in Hybrid Electric Vehicle zones (HEV) on rallies, but the Rally1 cars also run on electricity alone in the service park for the first time in the history of the World Rally Championship. On the stages, the drivers can also use the high-performance hybrid system from Schaeffler subsidiary to call on an extra 100 kW, which briefly brings the total output of the car to 386 kW and thus over 500 hp. The energy is recovered by recuperating braking energy. That way, the drive battery is charged while the car is moving.
Hybrid know-how for World Rally Championship, Formula 1 and Le Mans
Electromobility and hybrid drives in motorsport are by no means new territory for Schaeffler subsidiary Compact Dynamics. Among other things, the company enjoyed success with the Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler Team in FIA Formula E from the word go, winning the very first race in the fully-electric racing series. Schaeffler subsidiary Compact Dynamics also supplied top-level hybrid technology for Formula 1 and endurance racing cars like the Audi LMP1 hybrid cars, which caused quite a stir at Le Mans. In doing so, it played an important part in many prestigious successes around the world.
One aspect that is at least as important as success at the racetrack for Schaeffler and its subsidiary Compact Dynamics is the ability to transfer the technology tried and tested in motorsport into series production. This race-to-road strategy contributes to the constant further development of hybrid and electric drive systems in day-to-day traffic, making Schaeffler a leading manufacturer in the field of electromobility.
Rally1 cars already in action today
As series and innovation partner of the DTM, Schaeffler is also developing the drive system for the electrification of the popular touring car series. With the DTM Electric Design Model, Schaeffler has already shown what the future of fully-electric DTM race cars might look like.
Anyone who would like to watch the new hybrid Rally1 cars in action can already do so. The FIA World Rally Championship started in March 2022 with the Rally Monte Carlo and, twelve rounds later in Europe, Africa and New Zealand, ends with the Rally Japan in November.