Quote:
Originally Posted by JasH
Sorry if I was unclear. The i8 is fully 4WD and perfectly balanced etc under hard use. However, track use is an "abnormally" hard and continuous usage of it, which means the i8 is giving all it can, continuously.
This means it uses a LOT more electricity than it can regenerate, and when that battery charge runs out, it has to rely on the combustion engine only. This engine drives the rear wheels, making the i8 RWD under that scenario.
This never happens on road - ever. But will always happen on track in my opinion. Full on track driving is very extreme for any car.
A Tesla in Ludicrous mode would reduce power in less than one lap in my opinion for example. And it's brakes would overheat in about 2 laps. And many normal combustion cars need to cool down down their brakes after 5 or so laps on track.
Not many cars can keep running continuously at full power on track. My Lotus car, and many of the supercars on track that day could, but not all of the cars could eg Nissan GTR. Normal road cars can't either.
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Interesting info and probably quite predictable for a road car. Carbon Ceramic brakes and decent brake fluid really needed for track use, modified engine/brake cooling probably useful as well for 'normal' road cars.
Electric cars have a problem with rapid battery discharge heating the battery as well as the cabling - not a problem on stop-start road use but extremes of track use are different altogether as you say. Wonder what it would take to make an EV capable of continuous high discharge/recharge without frying the battery, cabling or motor - with today's tech it might simply be too heavy/costly to be worthwhile?
I think some research into Formula E is needed to see how they do it...!