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Peugeot Unveils Hybrid Le Mans Racer

By Ben Whitworth Motor Industry 07 October 2008 13:03 Peugeot used the final round of this season’s Le Mans Series at Silverstone this weekend to show off its new hybrid-powered 908 HDi FAP racer, which features a similar kinetic energy recovery setup to next year’s Formula 1 system.The 908’s ‘HY’ undertook a number of demonstration laps in front of the packed grandstands and showed how Peugeot’s passenger car technology is filtering through to its motorsport activities.Over the weekend, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest – the company that runs the Le Mans series – announced a raft of aerodynamic and air-intake changes to next year’s regulations to even out the advantages of diesel over petrol. But rather frustratingly for Peugeot, there were no moves to incorporate hybrid powertrains in the 2009 season.But Peugeot claims that it will enter the 908 HY into next year’s Le Mans Series as a ‘Double Oh’ non-competitor to further evaluate the car’s hybrid technology.The HY’s layout comprises three key components - an 80bhp gear-driven electric motor-generator which replaces the conventional starter motor, 10 lithium-ion battery stacks to store the recovered power (six in the cockpit instead of the conventional battery and four on the left-hand side of the floor pan) and an electronic power converter, located in the rear part of the front left wing, which controls the flow of energy between batteries and motor.The result is a 3-5% mechanical energy recovery – and the associated economy and performance benefits. Over a single lap of Le Mans, for example, the system will recoup lost energy for up to 30seconds.This is then converted into a 20second 80bhp kick can either be meted out automatically by the car’s electronics to bolster acceleration throughout the lap or be selectively used by the driver using a ‘push to pass’ boost button.The additional and modified components add a further 65kg to the car’s weight, but Peugeot’s engineers claim the racecar will still easily meet the minimum regulated weight. “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, Peugeot Sport’s director.

New Nissan Juke explodes in to view (sort of)

This, apparently, is the new Nissan Juke We’ve already seen a number of ‘teases’ for new cars due to debut at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show next month, and this afternoon it’s the turn of Nissan to tease the 2014 Juke facelift with a completely uninformative teaser image. The Nissan Juke – revealed four year ago at the Geneva Motor Show after a preview as the Nissan Qazana Concept the year before - brought Nissan’s funky compact crossover to the public’s attention and introduced a new ‘Ugly is Appealing’ look to mainstream motoring. But four years is a long time in the car world, and many other have tried to grab a piece of the Juke’s market place, so it’s time to give it a refresh with a facelifted version heading for Geneva next month.

Stillen contest calls for production SEMA Scion FR-S bodykit designs

Tuning company Stillen has launched a competition to design a bodykit for the Scion FR-S to be put into production. As well as having their design made, the winner also win entry to the Specialty Equipment Marketing Association (SEMA) Show and be put up during the show for two days in Las Vegas, where the car will be displayed The contest calls for designers to submit renders of a lip/body kit consisting of a front lip spoiler, side rockers and rear valances by downloading the design templates from the contest website and submitting their own designs by email along with name and contact information. The Stillen design team will choose the top five designs three days after the submission deadline and upload them to its Facebook page, with the winner chosen by the public on Facebook after two weeks of voting.