Advanced energy recovery and charging

Futuristic grand prix cars will continue to spearhead the development of future road technologies, leveraging a new generation of super-efficient fuels and lubricants from our partners ExxonMobil, and focusing on the generation of electrical power recovery. The car could receive additional recharging by using inductive coupling built into the track. This could lead to more sustainable racing, but also be the catalyst for a shift-change in vehicle powertrain architecture that would benefit everyday car drivers.

“With a new approach to the internal combustion engine, you could radically redistribute the chassis layout at the rear of the car, with different areas that could be exploited aerodynamically. Such technology could be beautifully packaged around the entire chassis,” says Anthony Law, Systems Engineer, McLaren Applied Technologies.

Applied Technologies’ energy recovery, hybrid motors and electronic management systems are already deployed in the McLaren P1 hypercar and in Formula E, alongside its work in motorsport. Click here to find out more.

Energy storage built into structural materials

Rather than storing energy in concentrated areas, we’d create ‘thin batteries’ fully integrated into the crash structure, storing energy from the hybrid and solar systems. Electricity would be stored and distributed within the vehicle’s structure and bodywork, where it would always be close to where it is both generated and used.