The 2013 Formula 1 season is just getting underway, but Renault already is preparing a new engine for 2014 when a fresh set of rules goes into effect. The new engine drops two cylinders, adopts a more powerful electric boost, and most interesting, adds a turbocharger connected to a second electric motor.
The heart of the powertrain is a 1.6-liter, 90-degree V-6 now using direct injection and making more than 600 horsepower. Engine revs are capped at 15,000 rpm (versus 18,000 rpm for the current batch of V-8s) and a single exhaust replaces the outgoing V-8’s dual-exhaust setup. The hybrid-like KERS system is back, but it’s been renamed ERS-K (for Energy Recovery System-Kinetic) and the electric motor is twice as powerful, with a peak output of 161 horsepower.
The real novelty, though, is the addition of a second electric motor/generator connected to the turbocharger turbine. Known as ERS-H (Energy Recovery System-Heat), this electric unit both captures energy and occasionally feeds it back to the turbocharger to keep the compressor on boost. Rather than vent excess exhaust through a wastegate, the hot gasses spin the turbine to drive the generator, which then sends electricity to the batteries or capacitors. That electricity can be used either to power the wheels via the ERS-K motor or to spin the turbocharger compressor. By driving the compressor during braking, Renault can eliminate turbo lag.
Of course, necessity is the mother of invention, and Renault’s new engine is as much a product of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile as it is the French automaker. The iron-clad Formula 1 rulebook means engine builders Ferrari, Mercedes, and Cosworth—rumors persist that Honda could make a return to F1 as an engine supplier next season—inevitably will run with power units that are dimensionally and conceptually identical to Renault’s.
The new engine represents a significant departure from the 2.4-liter, naturally aspirated V-8s that have been used in Formula 1 since 2006. The FIA says its goal was to bring Formula 1 technologies closer to those of production cars and the basic principles—reduced displacement, turbocharging, and increased electrification—are right in line with trends we’re seeing on showroom floors. And just like in production cars, these changes are being made in the name of efficiency. While fuel consumption is currently unregulated, cars will be limited to 37 gallons of fuel per race and a maximum flow rate of 220 pounds per hour in 2014. At the same time, the rules encourage greater use of the electrified KERS system. While the systems supply about six seconds of boost per lap for 2013, the new rules will allow the electric assist to be used for up to 34 seconds per lap.
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