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Vol_Jbolaz t1_j4t8pai wrote

Reply to comment by broyoyoyoyo in Toyota to Convert Older Cars to Eco-Friendly Models to Curb Emissions by renome

That is probably the case.

I was hoping for hydrogen cars because they can be refueled quicker than recharged.

Toyota has also invested heavily in motorsport (most Japanese brands do), and EV cars will kill motorsport. For now, GR can continue to push forward with hybrid power plants in motorsport, but that will come to an end soon.

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Writerro t1_j4uf8h5 wrote

Why EVs will kill motorsport?

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Huxley077 t1_j4vdcxr wrote

Because different environments usually had to be "tuned" for. Things like elevation, air density , humidity, air-fuel ratios etc all had to be fine tuned for each race location.

Now...that doesn't exist. This, alongside electrical motors having little variantion in a highly regulated sport ( racing leagues have strict limits to hardware and design to help keep the the racers equipment about the same, emphasizing driving skill over hardware ).

It weakens the competitive aspect, though doesn't "kill" it outright

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anengineerandacat t1_j4uyezl wrote

Wouldn't kill it but... a good chunk of that experience is the incredibly loud noises of what only a combustion engine can muster.

EVs have their whine but IMHO it's not the same.

That being said Rally is already on it's conversion over and F1 has hybrid systems too so it's just a matter of time.

Suspect endurance races will end or be highly dependent on battery quick releases of some sort.

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binderclip95 t1_j4v3z4d wrote

> a good chunk of that experience is the incredibly loud noises of what only a combustion engine can muster.

I couldn’t help but laugh at this. “We like race because car go BRRRRRR” It sounds ridiculous, but you’re right.

Maybe they could keep our monkey brains excited by adding fake engine noises like this Dodge EV muscle car.

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Vol_Jbolaz t1_j4vsona wrote

There are a few reasons why I think motorsport will (and should) change:

  • The differences between different EVs will be reduced in any balance of power to basically make it all a one-make series. You won't have a front-engine straight six all-wheel drive car, racing against a front-engine V8 rear-wheel drive, against a mid-engine V10 and so on. There won't be multiple solutions to solve a problem, it will just be different manufacturers making the same solution. (This is better for showing off which driver is better, but in that case, you could just do sim racing)
  • Endurance racing will be over. You can't recharge fast enough to make it reasonable. And since there will be fewer parts to fail, there won't really be any endurance.
  • F1 today is just a few teams that do everything they can to break the rules even though they have clearly better cars than the rest of the also-rans. It is too much money, and too much special dispensation given to Ferrari. It is too corrupt and isn't good racing. It will easily change over to EVs and people will think things are great, but F1 is a mess today that isn't worth watching. It will still be a disgraceful mess later.
  • Grassroots will be dead. Today you can buy a car that one of the race cars is based off of. You can modify your street car in different ways. You can go to track days or enter little MX-5, Rallycross, or TCR races with cars that you've modified and tuned. You can't change much about an EV. They will all be pretty much the same.

We do need to move beyond fossil fuels and polluting hydrocarbons (renewable ethanol). But it will be sad to see motorsport fall into an obscure little hobby that will never recapture its old glory.

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