Here is a headscratcher for you guys -Mitsu JAPAN wants to support Electric Racing
Apr 28, 2011, 11:12 AM
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Here is a headscratcher for you guys -Mitsu JAPAN wants to support Electric Racing
Mitsubishi Interested in Electric F1
Published Apr 28, 2011
Just the Facts:
Mitsubishi supports the idea of an electric auto racing series.
Company President Osamu Masuko is intrigued by the lower development costs for an EV racecar.
The company has no experience in grand prix racing, though it has history in WRC and Dakar competition.
TOKYO — Japanese automaker Mitsubishi is "very interested" in a racing series for electric vehicles, according to the company's president, Osamu Masuko.
Japan Today reports that Mitsubishi, Japan's sixth largest car manufacturer, would use such a series for development of electric passenger cars.
Published Apr 28, 2011
Just the Facts:
Mitsubishi supports the idea of an electric auto racing series.
Company President Osamu Masuko is intrigued by the lower development costs for an EV racecar.
The company has no experience in grand prix racing, though it has history in WRC and Dakar competition.
TOKYO — Japanese automaker Mitsubishi is "very interested" in a racing series for electric vehicles, according to the company's president, Osamu Masuko.
Japan Today reports that Mitsubishi, Japan's sixth largest car manufacturer, would use such a series for development of electric passenger cars.
http://www.insideline.com/mitsubishi...medium=twitter
Apr 28, 2011, 11:48 AM
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Haha i clicked on the link and the first thing i saw was the i Miev picture. I though they were trying to pass that as a Electric F1 racer. Its all talk just trying to get people intrested in thier electric car crap.
The first post is a classic. lol
"jackson611 says:
11:32 AM, 04/28/2011
A silent F1 GP would be about as exciting to me as a concert does to someone who's deaf."
The first post is a classic. lol
"jackson611 says:
11:32 AM, 04/28/2011
A silent F1 GP would be about as exciting to me as a concert does to someone who's deaf."
Apr 28, 2011, 04:25 PM
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Makes sense to me. A lot of the best technological improvements for cars has come out of racing. Basically, it is a good reason to spend massive amounts of money on R&D, even if there will be very little immediate return on investment.
Right now, you have a few token electric cars, but because all of their dev costs need to be recovered through the sale of the end product, it limits how much money any manufacturer is willing to spend on EV improvements. New battery tech, new design ideas, new concepts for aerodynamics, more efficient motors, more powerful motors, and transmissions that fully make use of that power will all be developed more completely with a racing budget. On top of that, it serves as promotion for a car company when they place on the podium, garnering interest from the public in their EV offerings.
As it stands, nobody, and i mean NOBODY looks at an iMIEV and says "wow nice car". But if they took that platform, and made it actually perform, then maybe people would look at it differently. Take the Evo: it started off as a rather boring grocery getter with an underpowered motor, until Mitsu evolved it. Heck, look at the non-evo lancers for the first 9 generations: BORING cars! But the rest of us looked at the tech in the Evo and lusted after the potential. Sure, the Ralliart of old was a geriatric snail compared to the evo, but it had a few designer features that made it have the look and desirability of its superstar cousin. OP, I think you of all people will understand what it means to have a car that the soul of the evo.....
Furthermore, racing has always been about taking a rather insignificant grocery getter, and driving the crap out of it. In the case of Rally, the rule for the longest time has been that the cars must be street legal. Most of them (except open class) are running the same hardware you and I can buy at the dealer: it is a true stock-car racing series. This is what has made the Evo what it is. Rules required that the cars being raced were "the same" as the ones in the showroom, so manufacturers started bolting on new parts, and essentially releasing the burning fire of racing passion out of something that was barely a candle to begin with.
To think that this type of progression will never happen in the EV world is complete ignorance. in maybe 20 years, I'm sure more than a few people on this forum who currently love their turbocharged, fire breathing gas guzzlers will have an EV in the driveway, and actually like it. This really does depend on a good, stable racing series that allows both big manufacturers, and privateer developers get on board. F1 type racing, where everything is a prototype, is ideal for this kind of development. This lets manufacturers create and test new products to some extremes as soon as it is made, and instantly compare it to the competition. If it wins, they then start designing a street car with that tech, and the cycle for the next big thing begins. An F1 car creates teh tech, it is put on the street, where it is turned by enthusiasts to be a bit better, where then it becomes a Rally car again, and the manufacturer now takes the tech, and creates a new Evo. We all win!
So, I guess what I am saying is, its about time that a big manufacturer, with some racing heritage, is starting to back an EV racing series. I really hope this takes off, as I filled up at $1.52/L today, and that has me kinda ticked. I'd love to be able to plug in my car, and never worry about the rest. However, until I can have an AWD elecctric that gives me the same driving experience as my turbocharged gas guzzler, I'll just have to continue to burn out my credit cards every time I fill up.
Right now, you have a few token electric cars, but because all of their dev costs need to be recovered through the sale of the end product, it limits how much money any manufacturer is willing to spend on EV improvements. New battery tech, new design ideas, new concepts for aerodynamics, more efficient motors, more powerful motors, and transmissions that fully make use of that power will all be developed more completely with a racing budget. On top of that, it serves as promotion for a car company when they place on the podium, garnering interest from the public in their EV offerings.
As it stands, nobody, and i mean NOBODY looks at an iMIEV and says "wow nice car". But if they took that platform, and made it actually perform, then maybe people would look at it differently. Take the Evo: it started off as a rather boring grocery getter with an underpowered motor, until Mitsu evolved it. Heck, look at the non-evo lancers for the first 9 generations: BORING cars! But the rest of us looked at the tech in the Evo and lusted after the potential. Sure, the Ralliart of old was a geriatric snail compared to the evo, but it had a few designer features that made it have the look and desirability of its superstar cousin. OP, I think you of all people will understand what it means to have a car that the soul of the evo.....
Furthermore, racing has always been about taking a rather insignificant grocery getter, and driving the crap out of it. In the case of Rally, the rule for the longest time has been that the cars must be street legal. Most of them (except open class) are running the same hardware you and I can buy at the dealer: it is a true stock-car racing series. This is what has made the Evo what it is. Rules required that the cars being raced were "the same" as the ones in the showroom, so manufacturers started bolting on new parts, and essentially releasing the burning fire of racing passion out of something that was barely a candle to begin with.
To think that this type of progression will never happen in the EV world is complete ignorance. in maybe 20 years, I'm sure more than a few people on this forum who currently love their turbocharged, fire breathing gas guzzlers will have an EV in the driveway, and actually like it. This really does depend on a good, stable racing series that allows both big manufacturers, and privateer developers get on board. F1 type racing, where everything is a prototype, is ideal for this kind of development. This lets manufacturers create and test new products to some extremes as soon as it is made, and instantly compare it to the competition. If it wins, they then start designing a street car with that tech, and the cycle for the next big thing begins. An F1 car creates teh tech, it is put on the street, where it is turned by enthusiasts to be a bit better, where then it becomes a Rally car again, and the manufacturer now takes the tech, and creates a new Evo. We all win!
So, I guess what I am saying is, its about time that a big manufacturer, with some racing heritage, is starting to back an EV racing series. I really hope this takes off, as I filled up at $1.52/L today, and that has me kinda ticked. I'd love to be able to plug in my car, and never worry about the rest. However, until I can have an AWD elecctric that gives me the same driving experience as my turbocharged gas guzzler, I'll just have to continue to burn out my credit cards every time I fill up.
Apr 28, 2011, 06:14 PM
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Its a head scratcher to me because they turned their back on Racing and shut down Ralliart Division. It still sends chills up my spine when I read the message on the Ralliart webpage. http://ralliart.com/10topics/100310.html
I am not really in opposition to this venture. I think your right suprPHREAK, I think some good can come out of this. I just wish Mitsubishi didnt turn its back on all the years of devlopment and heritage.
I am not really in opposition to this venture. I think your right suprPHREAK, I think some good can come out of this. I just wish Mitsubishi didnt turn its back on all the years of devlopment and heritage.
May 2, 2011, 08:35 PM
#7
They turned their back on "current" racing because it doesn't match the image of being green. Basically current racing is about going as fast as you can without caring about how much resources you use. It's not that they don't want to "compete"... they just don't want to be seen as wasting resources.
I don't see anything wrong with an electric racing league. In the past street cars advanced due to racing technology. Now racing technology is soooo advanced that it has hardly anything to do with street cars. But if they make a racing series for electric cars... then maybe that can accelerate how the street electric cars will advance.
I mean how many exciting electric cars or hybrid cars are there right now? Tesla? And...?
I don't see anything wrong with an electric racing league. In the past street cars advanced due to racing technology. Now racing technology is soooo advanced that it has hardly anything to do with street cars. But if they make a racing series for electric cars... then maybe that can accelerate how the street electric cars will advance.
I mean how many exciting electric cars or hybrid cars are there right now? Tesla? And...?
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