This year it looks like Porsche's 919 Hybrid will once more be the car to beat. (credit: Porsche)
2016's most technologically exciting racing cars have revved up in Europe this month. Of course, we're referring to the hybrid prototypes from Audi, Porsche, and Toyota that will compete in this year's World Endurance Championship. It's no secret that we're gigantic fans of the WEC here at Ars. And we especially love that these carbon fiber testbeds use the crucible of long-distance racing to develop new technology that has a direct impact on the cars we drive on the roads.
The cars were revealed to the world in the days leading up to the WEC's Prologue test at the Paul Ricard circuit in the South of France, which was held on March 25 to 26. There have been a few changes compared to last year's cars, and these tweaks are aimed at making the hybrids even more efficient than 2015. (Bear with us, this may get a little complicated to explain.)
Each car is allowed up to two hybrid systems in addition to their internal combustion engine. These can be motor-generator units that harvest and then deploy kinetic energy to the front or rear wheels, but other systems are also allowed (i.e. a motor-generator unit connected to an engine's turbocharger). Gasoline and diesel engines are allowed, and they can be naturally aspirated or turbocharged.
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