Automakers have had a high profile in the news this week with one showing off possibly the most powerful hybrid vehicle on the planet, while others are dealing with a plethora of tech related recalls.
Toyota has unveiled the 986 horsepower TS040 hybrid race car. The super sleek car will attempt to dominate the 24 hours of Le Mans with its V8, all-wheel drive and most uniquely a hybrid engine. Le Mans entrants were allowed to add a hybrid system that could deliver either two, four, six or eight megajoules of energy to the car per lap.
Toyota chose the six megajoule option. This will impact the car in two ways: First, its inclusion means the car will carry 25 percent less fuel and the company had to build an entirely new drive train. Secondly, when the electric motor kicks it in delivers 473 horsepower into the system, which when combined with the V8 give the car a total of 986 horsepower.
Like a Prius, electricity is generated when the driver brakes the vehicle. The energy is stored in a super capacitor and then released into the system during acceleration.
Toyota intends to eventually use what is learned on the race track to improve the cars its sells to the public.
Electric car maker Tesla may have need for some of Toyota's upcoming technology to help it deal with some battery-related issues with which it has been dealing. Tesla had to add three underbody shields to its Model S as further protection for the batteries during an accident.
There has been an investigation by the National Highway Transportation Safety Agency after fires broke when the battery pack on a Model S was damaged in an accident. The agency closed its investigation without calling for a recall, but Tesla reinforced the car as an added safety measure.
South Carolinians are also benefiting from the growing popularity of hybrid cars as BMWannounced it would soon start production of the plug-in hybrid version of the BMW X5 at its Spartanburg, S.C. factory. The facility will also produce a number of other vehicles.
Software glitches do not just effect computer companies. Nissan Motors is recalling one million vehicles in the U.S. and Canada to fix a bug that could stop the airbag from deploying in an accident. The problem centers on a sensor in the front passenger seat that is suppose to tell if it is occupied by an adult or child and then set the airbag to go off accordingly. The bug could indicate to the computer that a child is in the passenger seat actually it is an adult. If this happens the airbag will not deploy.
The cars being recalled include the 2013-2014 Altima, Leaf, Pathfinder and Sentra, the 2013 NV200 cargo van, the 2013 Infiniti JX35, and the 2014 Infiniti Q50 and QX60 cars.
