Filed under: EV/Plug-in, USA, Racing
Launched: WX10-T all-electric race car
The all-electric WX10-T was official unveiled at last week's Performance Racing Industry trade show and now that the initial festivities are done with, we have a bit more information and some pics to share. The West Race Cars and KleenSpeed Technologies collaboration garnered a good bit of interest at the event and we hear some deals should be announced before too long. West had said they were looking for "4 more top flight racing operations" to campaign the cars this year and they may well be on their way to achieving that.
The "10-T" was displayed next to its nearly-identical gas-powered sister (pictured above) at PRI without its exterior bodyshell so as to show off the inside mechanical parts, which you can check out in the gallery below. It sports a 150kW motor and will offer several different battery pack size options. For racing longer distances, the battery packs are designed to be swappable and it is estimated to take about 45 seconds to make the switch and change the tires. How will it perform on the track? We hope to have video of it testing early in the new year.
[Source: West Race Cars]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
John Lee 11:33AM (12/18/2008)
Go speedracer, go!
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gorr 11:34AM (12/18/2008)
This sure will never be on par with the gasoline equivalent because of the extra weight of the battery. The more powerful the battery is the more weight it add and more weight mean less speed and more difficult breaking. This is just a toy for no brain car guy. The only advantage is maybe less pollution but if they make their fuel from green algae farming like butanol then the gasoline equivalent become less polluting, faster and cost less.
It's easy to see that we live in an fool driven sociaty with a general education level approching 0 % or maybe 1% to be nice.
Nobody is able to voice an opinion by themself from themself based on their own beliefs and discoveries. Even in a chat site like here that talk about the present and futur cars.
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Lad 1:46AM (12/19/2008)
This looks to be a well designed aerodynamic, track car; looks like direct chain drive with no diff needed...I like that because energy is lost in rerouting the power flow 90% in a diff. The placement of the power packs makes a lot of sense for quick change outs and the double a arms with horizontal coil and dampeners is right there with current thinking; along with the CF chassis.
I would say it has great potential and could be on the ground floor of all electric racing. A one speed race car with regen assist braking and power pack with ultracaps and low weight batteries. No doubt this will be super fast on a race course.
May I try it out...please!
Balaclava Betty 3:32AM (4/29/2009)
I like to read your comments Gorr.
There are glimmers of remarkable lucidity closely followed by some obscure and completely bonkers remark.
Try to stay on topic and you might get a few more supporters.
Andy 8:37PM (12/18/2008)
Hi Gorr,
I like to read your comments. There are moments of remarkable lucidity mixed up with some interesting but obscure ramblings.
If you can try to stay on topic, I would appreciate your posts even more....... thanks.
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Doug 8:43PM (12/18/2008)
@Lad
Although it looks like a single gear ratio chain drive, from my reading of the pictures, there still is a differential. It's inside that CNC milled aluminum box. That sprocket along the rear axle is the input to the diff. Though, it is coaxial with that left rear drive shaft, it is separate.
http://www.autobloggreen.com/photos/west-race-cars-kleenspeed-technologies-wx10-t/1232748/
http://www.autobloggreen.com/photos/west-race-cars-kleenspeed-technologies-wx10-t/1232996/
I totally want to drive it too.
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Lad 1:42AM (12/19/2008)
@Doug:
Didn't make myself clear, sorry! What I mean is the ring and pinion gears, which redirect the power 90 degrees and account for most of the mechanical loss, are not needed in the differential. Only the limited slip cage is needed because it appears to be directly driven.