With a time of 7:22:329, Toyota Motorsport was able to break the record it set last August at the Nürburgring for fastest electric lap. The all-electric EV P002 was driven by Jochen Krumbach around the so-called “Green Hell” to surpass the team’s prior record by 25 seconds. The race car could attain top speeds of up to 158mph. The TMG team attributing its success to the pioneering battery recharging technology, which enables them to boost the power of an electric race car that doesn’t have access to a mains power grid. This technology, which was jointly developed with battery specialists Schneider Electric, uses a 42kw lithium ion battery that’s first charged from the mains and then mounted into the back of a Toyota Hiace van.
As soon as it’s attached to a ‘Quick Charger’, the setup can quickly recharge a vehicle without requiring mains power. Toyota described this technology as a “major step” for electric motorsport. It also believes that this will make teams more flexible so that cars can continue to run on track.
Ludwig Zeller, TMG General Manager Electrics and Electronics: “Since our Nürburgring record last year, we have developed our electric powertrain to deliver more power, more consistently, over a longer distance by managing the temperature of batteries, motors and inverter. Pikes Peak was a clear illustration of the improvements and we have now reinforced that at the Nürburgring. But this achievement is not only about on-track performance; we are also very proud of the DC Quick Charger which again provided a reliable power supply in a remote location. This is an aspect of electric motorsport which has not been discussed at length but it is very significant; electric race cars need to be charged and it is a challenge to have the right infrastructure at race tracks, particularly temporary street circuits. Together with our partners at Schneider Electric, we have developed a solution to charge a race car literally anywhere in the world. This, along with the TMG EV P002 powertrain, represents a major step forward for electric motorsport.”
