PRESS KIT

25 February,2013

RENAULT’S 2014 POWER-UNIT CONSOLIDATES THE

BRAND’S TECHNOLOGICAL LEAD AS POWER SUPPLIER TO
THE FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

The new regulations that the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) is due to introduce in 2014 will see
Formula 1 enter a new era. Motor racing’s premier series is on the threshold of one of the biggest technological
changes in its history.

The objective of this metamorphosis is to ensure closer ties between the research and development carried out
in F1, the concerns of everyday motorists and the new challenges faced on economic and environmental
fronts, without detracting from the quality of the show or the level of competition.

This major technological revolution is a fresh challenge for Renault Sport F1’s experts, who are developing a
brand new electrified 1.6 V6 Turbo powerplant (known as a ‘power unit’), which combines a significantly
downsized internal combustion engine with an energy recovery system that feeds two electric motors.

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The change fits perfectly with Renault’s powertrain strategy, which is founded on:

An unmatched commitment to electric motors,

Ongoing improvements to the efficiency of its internal combustion engines with a view to achieving
spectacular fuel consumption and CO2 emissions gains.

Renault will defend its status as motor racing’s technological leader to benefit its range of road cars. The
creative thinking and passion for innovation of everyone at Renault will be major assets as it prepares for this
new era.

“Renault’s continued involvement in Formula 1 serves to showcase our technological expertise on the racetrack and
also contributes to the progress of our road vehicles. In each of these areas that entails delivering the ideal balance
between performance, fuel consumption and reliability.
For more than 35 years, F1 has helped Renault to develop its expertise in fields such as downsizing, friction reduction
and cooling. With the new regulations, the use of electrical power stands to take on an increasingly important role in the
development of powertrains, and that fits perfectly with Renault’s strategic commitment to electric vehicles.”
Carlos Ghosn (Chairman and CEO, Renault)

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01 02
A REVOLUTION FOR FORMULA 1 RENAULT, A MAJOR PLAYER IN F1’S
TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGES

03 04
FROM THE CURRENT V8 ENGINE TO THE THE 2014 F1 REGULATIONS AS AN
ELECTRIFIED V6 POWER UNIT INNOVATION ACCELERATOR FOR
RENAULT

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APPENDIX

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01
A REVOLUTION FOR F1 : A TECHNOLOGICAL
CHALLENGE TO GET WELL AND TRULY INTO
THE THIRD MILLENIUM
“If they are to come true, dreams need technology.” Rob White, Deputy General Manager (Technical),
Renault Sport F1

F1 is about to undergo one of the most important transformations in its history. After a seven-year
period during which engine specifications were frozen, the new regulations due to come into effect in
2014 will see engine makers play a central role in the cars’ overall performance. By placing engines
at the very heart of the sport once again, motor racing’s blue riband competition will stand out more
than ever as a showcase for cutting edge technology.

WHAT WILL CHANGE

The gauntlet the FIA has thrown down to F1's engine

makers for 2014 is to reduce the quantity of fuel needed
for a Grand Prix by almost 40 percent, yet still maintain
the same level of performance and power outputs (i.e.
around 750 horsepower) as today. This change to the
ground rules is poised to spark a major technological
metamorphosis and a whole new challenge for the
sport's engine experts.

The discussions that took place to prepare the new

regulations led to the choice of a new engine technical
definition.

The countdown to 2014 is already well under way as the

engineers turn their attention to the development of what
is termed a 'power unit' that combines a downsized
turbocharged engine with two electric motors to recover
braking and exhaust heat energy.

Downsized internal combustion engine

- Switch from a V8 to a V6 architecture
- Cubic capacity reduced by one-third from 2.4
to 1.6 litres
- Turbocharging (single-stage compressor), plus
engine torque capped at 15,000rpm for a power
output of approximately 550 horsepower

New ‘Energy Recovery System’ (ERS): kinetic
energy (ERS-K) and exhaust heat energy (ERS-H) is
recovered by two electric motor-generator units
named MGU-H and MGU-K.

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THE NEW RESTRICTIONS SPECIFIED BY THE 2014 FIA REGULATIONS

A double-restriction concerning fuel A double restriction concerning the flow of electrical

energy

The amount of fuel that can be used during races
The amount of energy that can be recovered during
has been reduced : the maximum quantity of fuel each lap has been reduced
that may be carried by the car during a race will be
reduced to 140 litres. Energy management will
become a major factor of race strategies.

Fuel flow reduced : the maximum fuel flow rate will
The amount of energy that can be restored has also
be reduced to 140 litres/hour, making optimisation of been reduced
every gram of fuel vital for cars to go as fast as
possible on a given quantity of fuel. .

Development costs have been limited and the number of engines each driver can use in the course of the
season has been further capped: five per driver in 2014, then four per driver from 2015 (compared to eight per driver
at the moment). The technologies and materials employed must be similar to those used for production engines.

Energy efficiency, the new aim in F1

This step from a competition that has traditionally placed

the emphasis on power with little consideration for fuel
consumption to a new era focused on energy efficiency
and reduced fuel consumption (for the same level of
performance) is a real revolution for the world of F1.

As a pioneer of engine downsizing as long ago as the

1980s, Renault benefits from an extensive
understanding of the turbocharged V6 architecture.
Meanwhile, thanks to the electric vehicle programme it
instigated in 2009, Renault also enjoys an edge in the
field of electric motor technology. These are two
indisputable trump cards as it prepares for the switch
from normally-aspirated V8s to electrified V6
turbocharged power units.

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02
RENAULT, A MAJOR PLAYER IN F1’S CURRENT
TECHNOLOGICAL METAMORPHOSIS
From 2014, the powertrains used in Grand Prix racing are expected to deliver the same levels of
performance as previously, while using 40 percent less fuel. These changes mean that Formula 1 will
recover one of the ingredients that helped to forge its popularity, namely research by car
manufacturers into increasingly competitive and more modern technologies, which explains
Renault’s commitment to this highly specific sport as a supplier of engines.

“Renault saw assuming the lead in the orientation of the new rules as an opportunity to lay down the
foundations for the future – with engine technology at their heart. The reconciliation between F1 and
the world of mass production is geared to the efficient use of energy, which itself will be dependent
on engine technology.” Jean-Michel Jalinier (President and Managing Director, Renault Sport F1)

Renault a technological leader on the race Today, Renault stands out as one of the discipline’s key
track players. Four teams have been using its engines* and,
more than ever, its expertise as an engine
Having powered Red Bull Racing to three straight manufacturer comes to the fore as it rises to the
Drivers’ and Constructors’ world title doubles in 2010, challenge of the 2014 regulations. The skills and talents
2011 and 2012, Renault is the only volume car of Renault Sport F1’s engine specialists are being
manufacturer to have proved itself capable of channelled towards this new mission and prototypes of
competing on equal terms with, and defeating, the the Renault power unit are already being run on the test
specialist carmakers on the race track, notching up a benches at the factory in Viry-Châtillon.
score of 11 Constructors’ crowns (either as an engine
supplier or as a team in its own right), 151 victories and *Infiniti Red Bull Racing, Lotus F1 Team, Williams F1
202 pole positions in the process. Team and Caterham F1 Team

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 1980s : 1500cc 1990s : 3500 cc From 2006 : 2400cc
2000s : 3000 cc

In this technological race, Renault has always led the In order to continue competing in F1, Renault was
way, and its willingness to take risks and push back adamant that the discipline should recover the
boundaries has frequently reaped dividends in the long- reputation it enjoyed as a technological pioneer before
term. One need only think back to how Renault made the engine freeze regulations came into force in 2007.
turbo engines the norm in the 1980s. Then, in the During these group consultations, Renault proposed
1990s, Renault introduced the V10 powerplant that won that the race engines’ specification should be based on
the championship six years in a row between 1992 and ‘road relevant’ criteria, with energy efficiency as the
1997. The noughties saw Renault innovate yet again number one priority. The watchwords of this shift
with an open-angled V10 followed by a V8 (the RS27, towards engines that are also closer to the technology
which revved to almost 20,000rpm) which claimed the used by mass production vehicles were downsizing,
title out of the box in 2006. supercharging, an upper limit on engine speeds and the
controlling of costs to stay close to production
Renault, a major player in F1’s transformation technologies. Energy efficiency emerged naturally as
the key consideration.
Renault contributed significantly to the establishment of
the new regulations through its participation in the
different working groups set up by the FIA since 2009.

“At the time, there was a perceived distance and lack of

consistency between the technology employed in F1
and that used for mass production vehicles, from both
the economic and environmental angles. It was
therefore necessary for F1 to undergo a significant
change in order to reconcile these two realities.” Rob
White, Technical Director, Renault Sport F1.

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The four cornerstones put forward by Renault In addition to being among the first ones to propose the
to the FIA: concept of downsized engines to the FIA, Renault
actively campaigned for the new regulations to
o Road relevant: F1 needed to be closer to mass incorporate more electrification, a technology of the
production vehicles and become a technological future in which the company stands out as a pioneer in
bridgehead => INNOVATION the realm of road vehicles and also one in which it has
o A more entertaining show: more overtaking was made significant progress in F1. The teams at Renault
needed to make the sport more entertaining ==> Sport F1 were between the first on the grid to introduce
the performance level of F1 cars therefore KERS in 2009. Their experience of energy
needed to be maintained, along with overtaking management also led to Renault using their expertise to
opportunities ==> PERFORMANCE develop the motor for Twizy on the test benches at Viry-
o Energy efficiency: taking environmental realities Châtillon.
into account by reducing energy consumption
and CO2 emissions has become vital ==>
ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND MANAGEMENT
o Keeping costs under control: the 2014 power unit
must continue the existing cost-cutting trend seen
in F1, notably by reducing the number of engines
a driver can use in the course of a season to just
five and, eventually, four (as opposed to eight at
the moment) ==> RELIABILITY AND
ROBUSTNESS

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03
FROM THE CURRENT V8 ENGINE TO THE 2014
POWER UNIT
Formula 1 cars will consequently use so-called power units from 2014. These new power units will
feature a combination of an internal combustion engine and two electric motors.

"The next F1 engine will be a turbocharged 1.6-litre V6 combined with a double energy recovery
system. At Renault Sport F1, we fostered our knowledge of energy management through our first
experience with KERS some years ago already. Thanks to this, the current step to electrification was
relatively straightforward.” Pierre-Jean Tardy (2014 Power-Unit Project Manager)

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Main technical data

MOTEUR V8
POWER UNIT V6
RS27

V6 Turbo
V8 90°
Characteristics 90°degrees with
degrees
2 electric engines
Cubic Capacity 2400 cc 1600 cc
Number of valves 32 24
155kg (not
Weight 95kg including energy
accumulator)
Maximum engine
18,000 rpm 15,000 rpm
speed
Normally Single-stage
Air intake
aspirated turbocharger
Single exhaust
Two
Exhaust (exiting through
exhausts
the engine cover)
Fuel Injection Indirect Direct
Power output of
the Internal >750 > 600
Combustion horsepower horsepower
Engine
Amount of fuel
authorised per No uper limit 100kg
race
Maximum fuel
No uper limit Max 100 kg /h
flow
ERS-H + ERS-K :
KERS : 80
Power output 160 horsepower
horsepower,
from the Energy available for a 5
for a duration
Recovering times larger
of 6 seconds
System duration every
every lapr
lap

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Energy is never lost; it is merely converted into
another form

The efficiency of a conventional internal combustion

engine is approximately between 25 and 30 percent in
optimal conditions of use. This means that 70 percent
of the energy provided by the fuel combustion is lost in
the form of heat, either via the car's radiators
(exchange of heat between the engine block and the
cooling fluids) or, more significantly, via the exhaust
gases.

“Improving the energy efficiency of an engine entails

transmitting as much of the energy produced as
possible to the wheels mechanically and re-using as
much of the energy resulting from the fuel’s combustion
as possible. The aim of the new regulations is
effectively to increase combustion efficiency thanks to
the combination of downsizing, turbocharging and the
recovery of the energy contained in exhaust heat (ERS-
H) and lost as heat under braking (ERS-K) and then re-
using this energy as electricity.” Rob White (Deputy
General Manager and Technical Director, Renault Sport
F1)

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Downsizing and turbocharging
A second valuable function of it is to drive the (big)
Turbocharging enables a high proportion of the power turbo after a period of braking, thereby avoiding the
to be recovered despite the lower maximum revs limit phenomenon of lag (which can last several seconds)
and the smaller cubic capacity which have a direct before the torque 'requested' by the driver is delivered
impact on the air that flows into the engine. by the (small) V6 engine.
To compensate for the smaller cubic capacity,
turbocharging permits the recovery of some of the
energy wasted as heat in the exhaust gases to drive the
turbo. This energy is then used to compress the intake
air (compressor) and increase the pressure inside the
cylinders. However, the efficiency of the turbo produces
more energy than is necessary to compress the intake
air. So, to clear this excessive energy and prevent the
turbo from spinning too fast, all turbocharged engines
are equipped with a waste gate.

• Direct fuel Injection

Direct fuel injection permits accurate control of the form o An ERS-K (Energy Recovery System –
and rate of the fuel spray inside the cylinders and not Kinetic) twice as powerful as today's KERS
inside the intake manifolds as is the case with indirect and capable of releasing stored energy for 34
injection. seconds per lap

Under braking, the kinetic energy of a racecar is

dissipated by the brakes in the form of heat. The
regulations allow a proportion of this energy to be
transformed into electricity via the MGU-K motor-
generator unit connected to the crankshaft of the
internal combustion engine.
This motor-generator unit will be capable of recovering
2MJ (Mega Joules) and delivering 4MJ per lap, which
equates to a use for approximately 34 seconds per lap
(as opposed to 6.5s/lap in the case of today's KERS).

• Electrification and double energy recovery The MGU-K will be capable of delivering peak power of
system: 120 kilowatts (more than 160 horsepower). This system
is known as ERS-K (Energy Recovery System –
o An unprecedented exhaust heat energy Kinetic).
recovery system:

The considerable energy contained in exhaust gases as

they exit an engine equates to almost 55 percent of the
energy provided by the fuel (see "Energy is never
lost…" sidebar). This is a huge loss. In the case of the
2014 power unit, however, the motor-generator unit
(MGU-H) mounted on the turbo will permit a proportion
of this otherwise wasted thermal energy (eliminated via
a 'waste gate') to be recovered and converted into
electricity. This electricity is then stored in the battery or
used by the other motor-generator unit (MGU-K) to Recovering this thermal and kinetic energy will not lead
drive the car. This system will allow the MGU-K to be to an increase in the amount of fuel consumed. It will
used for practically an entire lap. This system is known truly be a 'free' energy supply.
as ERS-H (Energy Recovery System - Heat).

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‘Compound’ engines The innovations featured on Renault’s power unit:

The principle of recovering energy by placing a turbine This 2014 power unit, its turbo, two electric motor-
in the exhaust line of a reciprocating engine and generators, battery and electronic control unit calls for a
transmitting this energy to the crankshaft is not new. It highly sophisticated system to manage the energy and
was even used prior to World War 2 on certain airplane power that is available to the driver.
engines and a mechanical form was developed for
trucks. The process is known as a ‘compound’ engine.
The advantage of an electric turbo-compound solution The principle of recovering braking energy and
is that it enables the released energy to be controlled in releasing it via the MGU-K (120kW) is similar to the
real time in order to use it when and where it is really KERS currently used in F1. However, the recovery of
necessary. Depending on the need of the moment, it exhaust gas energy is new and it is this combination of
can be transmitted to the crankshaft, employed to two systems which makes the power unit so innovative
maintain the speed of the turbine (and thereby reduce and consequently an accelerator of progress in the
inertia during the transient phase), or quite simply realm of engine energy efficiency
stored in the battery until required.

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04
THE 2014 F1 REGULATIONS: AN INNOVATION
ACCELERATOR FOR RENAULT
Thanks to the regulations the FIA has produced for 2014, there will be far more parallels between
Formula 1 and production cars. These regulations will enable the engine specialists to speed up
progress in the following domains:

Downsizing and supercharging

Electrification (the proportion of electrical energy will become more preponderant in the cars’
performance)

Energy efficiency and electrical energy management strategies to optimise how available energy
is used to go the fastest possible.

The bridges and dialogue that exist between the race engine specialists and their counterparts who
work on Renault’s road cars stand out as major assets for the company. This arrangement enables
Renault to constantly improve the energy efficiency and performance of both its race and production
engines.

Formula 1: a hi-tech laboratory for Renault This approach enables Renault to constantly improve
the energy efficiency of both its race and road going
In 2010 Renault reaffirmed its commitment to Formula 1 engines in many different ways:
by refocusing its efforts on its preferred activity and core
area of expertise, namely the design and development of 1/ The speed at which developments occur in F1 and the
engines for use by different teams. Renault’s return to analytical skills of Renault’s race engine specialists
the world championship was a sign of just how important enable the company to explore new technical solutions
this discipline was to the brand. In addition to being a in extreme conditions. Competing with specialist makes
formidable springboard for the promotion of its image on the racetrack also provides Renault, as a volume
worldwide, the tip of international motor racing’s pyramid manufacturer, with a unique grasp of cutting-edge
serves as a perfect laboratory for Renault for the engine architectures
development and testing of new technologies in extreme
conditions. 2/ The wide variety of skills available across Renault is a
major advantage that is also beneficial to Renault Sport
F1. For example, Renault Sport F1 makes intensive use
Breakthroughs in F1 feed production vehicles, and of Renault's materials laboratory, as well tools like the
vice-versa: scanning electron microscope.

At Renault, the bridges between the worlds of F1 and 3/ To work on the 2014 power unit, 30 of Renault's most
mass production are a reality. The close collaboration talented engineers were deployed to work with Renault
that exists between the race engine specialists and their Sport F1's own teams from the very beginning of the
production engine colleagues, as well as the one-off project.
projects that involve both parties, are a definite plus that
allow breakthroughs in F1 to benefit road going engines, 4/ Viry-Châtillon’s resources are also used for
and vice-versa. The values of this collaboration are production-related projects. Twizy’s motor, for example,
speed of response, flexibility and the pooling of was developed on the test benches at Renault Sport F1.
expertise.

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Energy engines: Renault’s technological excellence brought their expertise to the table to take downsizing to
in F1 for the benefit of all motorists new limits thanks to technical solutions and processes
brought with them from F1. Energy engines boast an
Renault’s excellence on the racetrack has already found unprecedented technological package for their level of
its way into the specification of its production engines. A range and, compared with their predecessors, deliver
prime example is the latest generation of Energy combined-cycle fuel savings of up to 25 percent for the
engines that have benefitted from the input of skilled vehicles they power.
specialists from the world of Formula 1. Philippe
Coblence and Jean-Philippe Mercier, two of the men
behind the success of the Renault V10 in the 1990s,
were respectively responsible for the development
engineering work on the Energy dCi 130 diesel engine,
the modular Energy TCe 90 (three cylinders,
turbocharged), the Energy TCe 115 and the Energy TCe
130 (four cylinders, turbocharged, direct fuel injection).
The two former heads of Viry-Châtillon’s design office

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05
APPENDIX
- The reliability of Renault’s production engines
INTERVIEW WITH GASPAR GASCON is recognised by the surveys carried out by independent
Powertrain Engineering Director, Renault bodies like ADAC, as well as by our partners, including
Daimler which organised an intensive test programme
for our 110HP 1.5 dCi engine that now powers the new
A-Class.
What features are shared by
Renault’s F1 and production In addition to their shared genes, production engines
engines? also benefit from technologies that come directly from
I would say three things: their DNA, F1, including:
the technology they use to a certain The use of aluminium to bring down weight (ENERGY
extent and, last but not least, the TCe),
human and professional skills which Cooling system (ENERGY dCi 130),
go into them. U-Flex piston rings (ENERGY dCi 130),
Reduced friction thanks to DLC (diamond like carbon)
Above all, Renault’s F1 and production engines share technology (ENERGY TCe and dCi),
the same genes. Whether they are designed to power Downsizing (ENERGY TCe and dCi).
road going vehicles or to drive single-seater F1 race
cars, Renault engines share the same DNA in three Last but not least, and this is one of Renault’s chief
areas, namely: strengths, production engines benefit from the expertise
of the staff who work in F1, and vice-versa:
1/ Power: - The design office responsible for the ENERGY dCi 130
- In F1, the Renault RS27 delivers more than engine was led by Philippe Coblence who enjoyed a
750hp. It is acclaimed for its performance and will power long career at Viry-Châtillon.
one-third of the cars on the grid in 2013. - The design office responsible for the ENERGY TCe
- Production Renault engines boast a specific 115,130 and ENERGY TCe 90 petrol engines was
power output that is among the very best for an engine overseen by Jean-Philippe Mercier, who came from Viry-
made by a volume manufacturer. Châtillon and who has now returned to supervise the
downsizing of the forthcoming F1 power unit.
2/ Fuel consumption:
- - In F1, weight is public enemy number one. Low Thanks to these shared genes, technologies and skills,
fuel consumption is clearly an advantage since it our savoir-faire in the field of production engines is
means you can carry less fuel, and that makes acclaimed just as much as our expertise in F1.
the car lighter and therefore faster. Renault’s F1
engines are reputed for their energy efficiency.
- - Meanwhile, Renault’s production engines are
among the very best in terms of their low CO2
emissions for their cubic capacity. For example,
New Clio Energy dCi 90’s fuel consumption of
3.2 litres/100km and CO2 emissions of 83g/km
allows it to rival with the best hybrid cars.

3/ Robustness:
- Performance serves no purpose if it doesn’t go
hand-in-hand with reliability. With a score of 11 F1
Constructors’ titles to its name, Renault has
demonstrated the robustness of its race engines. The
2014 FIA regulations mean that engines will need to
cover twice the distance as before.

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A CHAMPION OF THE TRANSFER OF
TECHNOLOGY
Jean-Philippe Mercier: “What goes around
comes around!”
Powertrain engineering Director, Renault Sport F1

AVENUES OF RESEARCH FOR PETROL ENGINES

Improving energy efficiency

The challenge faced by petrol engines chiefly concerns

reducing their CO2 emissions and thereby improving
their efficiency thanks to the following techniques:
- Downsizing with no loss of performance. The solution
of a smaller cubic capacity combined with a turbocharger
offers the greatest potential for bringing down fuel
consumption.
- Direct injection. The direct injection of fuel into the
combustion chamber permits fuel consumption savings
of between 10 and 15 percent.
A pool of about 30 Renault engine engineers has been - Variable valve timing. Although the fuel consumption
despatched to help the team at Viry-Châtillon by savings permitted by this technology do not exceed
contributing their experience of production engines to the around 10 percent, it is a valuable solution when
development of the 2014 power unit. Their numbers
combined with other technologies like downsizing and
included Jean-Philippe Mercier, former design office
direct injection.
manager in the days of the V10 and also one of the
genitors of the Energy TCe range of production engines
which notably power New Clio. The ascendance of electronic control systems
"Direct injection is about to arrive in F1 but I’m not sure
how many people realise that it is Viry-Châtillon that
Electronic control systems play an increasingly important
developed the first Renault engine – and the first
role (high-performance control units, algorithms which
European engine – to be equipped with direct fuel incorporate more and more physical models, virtual
injection, at the end of the 1990s,” he relates. “That sensors, etc.) when it comes to improving powertrain
engine was known as the ‘IDe’ and was entirely performance (conventional internal combustion engines
designed by Renault Sport F1. I have learnt a great deal
and electric motors) and reducing energy consumption.
from my experience of downsizing for production cars
Advanced equipment and software optimise control of
with the Energy TCe engines. Total production of F1
the entire driveline in all situations to ensure that
engines, which comprise something like 2,000 precision vehicles are enjoyable to drive, reliable, energy-efficient
components, is limited to a few hundred units, whereas a (low CO2 emissions), while minimising pollutants, noise,
production engine is made up of just 250 or so parts but etc.
100,000 of them may be made annually. The challenge
The new F1 regulations mean that race engines will
is the same in both cases and involves seeking the best
need to meet the same demands.
possible compromise between performance, energy
efficiency and reliability.

“I am now back at Renault Sport F1 to work on the F1

power unit for 2014. Hopefully, my experience of
downsizing engines for road cars will benefit this new
electrified V6 1.6 Turbo that takes its inspiration from
solutions tried on production engines. What goes around
comes around.”

Press office contact: Telephone : +33 1 76 84 63 36 - Internet : www.media.renault.com – www.renault.com

Photo credits : Renault Communication, Pagecran, DPPI, Hubert Vincent, Renault Marketing 3D-Commerce
February 2013 – All rights reserved. Renault high definition photos are available on: www.media.renault.com

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