More and more categories of motorsport are accepting the new hybrid technology. A diesel-electric hybrid version of Peugeot's 908 HDi has offered a pointer to the French manufacturer's future sportscar plans.


Starting next year, Formula 1 teams will be allowed to enter cars fitted with KERS, the kinetic energy recovery system.

In Detroit a few weeks ago, Zytek unveiled their plans to race a hybrid car in next year's American Le Mans Series.

Last weekend, Peugeot Sport profited from the final round of the 2008 Le Mans Series at Silverstone to unveil a 908 HDi FAP demonstration car equipped with hybrid power featuring a kinetic energy recovery system.

The 908 HY was shown in a new, specific silver-grey livery and will provide a foretaste of what Peugeot's next endurance racing challenger could resemble, although its use will depend on the regulations that will govern LMP1 cars from 2009.

HY technology enables a proportion of the kinetic energy produced under braking to be either recovered or stored. In the case of a non-hybrid car, this energy is dissipated in the form of heat via the brakes. However, when harnessed, it enables the vehicle's efficiency to be improved in one of two ways. Firstly, through enhanced performance with no increase in the amount of energy consumed thanks to the combination of the stored mechanical energy and the energy produced by the internal combustion engine.

Secondly, through reduced fuel consumption for the same level of performance thanks to the availability of stored mechanical energy.

"This hybrid 908 HDi FAP is in perfect keeping with the overall mission of our endurance racing programme which covers not only the challenge of competing, of course, but also the fact that as a car manufacturer we can use motor sport as a research and development tool for the Peugeot brand as a whole," said Michel Barge, Director of Peugeot Sport.

"After innovating through the use of our HDi FAP technology in competition, running a hybrid car in endurance racing would give Peugeot a chance to gain extremely valuable experience that would benefit the development of production cars. Whether we use this technology or not in 2009 will obviously depend on the details of the new regulations published by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest."


Photo Credit : Peugeot Sport