- Peugeot's new 908 Hybrid4 prototype endurance racer is a further evolution of the diesel-electric LMP1 prototype it showed at Silverstone in 2008.
- The 908 Hybrid4 mates Peugeot's new 550-horsepower 3.7-liter V8 turbodiesel racing motor with a KERS-type energy-recovery system that provides an additional 80 hp in short bursts.
- Peugeot is testing the 908 Hybrid4 with the aim of running the car on April 24 at the official pre-Le Mans 24 Hours test day.
GENEVA — Peugeot, which less than a month ago introduced its new diesel-powered 908 Le Mans endurance racecar, has unveiled a companion diesel-electric variant, the 908 Hybrid4.
As the name implies, the 908 Hybrid4 "combines diesel and electric power," according to Peugeot, which two years ago showed an earlier diesel-electric prototype racer, the 908 HY, at the 2008 Silverstone 1000 endurance race.
Unlike the earlier V12-powered 908 HY, the new 908 Hybrid4 racer shares a 550-horsepower 3.7-liter V8 with Peugeot's new 908 HDi FAP racecar. It also features what appears to be a type of Kinetic Energy Recovery System, similar to that used on the 2008 prototype racer.
In its latest announcement at Geneva, the automaker said, "The system employed by the Peugeot 908 Hybrid4 recovers and stores the kinetic energy generated under braking, before feeding it back into the driveline during acceleration."
Peugeot said the system "provides a short power boost of 80 hp for a few seconds." The recovered energy is stored in a lithium-ion battery pack, then is "automatically released to power the rear wheels under acceleration."
The automaker will begin track-testing the 908 Hybrid4 in late March, with the goal of running the car on April 24 at the official pre-Le Mans 24 Hours test day.
Inside Line says: Intriguingly, Peugeot said the 908 Hybrid4 also will be able to run in electric-only mode along pit lane. — Paul Lienert, Correspondent
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fantastic says:
07:25 AM, 03/03/2011
Silently pitting........amazing!