New Toyota Supra and BMW Z4 Could Get AWD, Supercapacitors

The next Toyota Supra and BMW Z4 could use the same hybrid drivetrain in the Yaris Hybrid-R, paired with supercapacitors and all-wheel drive. But whether it will be a six-figure supercar or something a little more attainable hasn’t been settled just yet.

Rumors have been circulating for years that Toyota and BMW are teaming up on a hybrid sports car, and with the reveal of the Toyota FT-1 Concept, the return of the Supra as a performance hybrid seems all but certain. The blurry details are starting to come into focus, and the picture they paint a very different vehicle from the classic Supra or Z4.

The new car will utilize an all-wheel drive system paired with a plug-in hybrid drivetrain similar to the one the Yaris Hybrid-R Concept, but with one key difference. Instead of a 1.6 liter Toyota gas engine, a BMW motor no bigger than 2.0 liters will be used alongside a pair of electric motors. Engineers are drawing from knowledge gained from the Toyota TS030, the hybrid Le Mans endurance racer that has been nipping at Audi’s heels for the past couple of years.

This is where the supercapacitors come in. Unlike lihtium-ion batteries, which more energy but also a lot longer longer to recharge and discharge, supercapacitors store a little bit of kinetic energy for a big (but brief) boost in power. They recharge with kinetic energy (mostly from braking) just as quickly as they discharge, making supercapacitors a better option than standard lithium-ion batteries. High-strength steel and aluminum will be used to keep weight down, further improving performance. With no hard numbers to pin down right now though, it’s hard to tell where in the supercar hierarchy the next Supra/Z4 will fall.

So where does this leave the in-demand BMW i8? Hard to say; the current BMW Z4 and BMW i8 are distinctly different vehicles, and the ‘i’ brand is being touted as somewhat separate (but not TOO separate) from the regular BMW lineup. While Toyota’s lineup is noticeably devoid of any high-end performance cars, is there room in the BMW lineup for another hybrid supercar?

I don’t see why not.

Source: AutoCar

Toyota GT86 Hybrid “In Development”

Performance hybrids are all the rage with the well-heeled, but the common man must still rely on forced induction to get his horsepower kick. Toyota could change all that though, confirming a rumor that’s been around for awhile now. A Toyota GT86 hybrid is indeed “in development” according to one executive, though that doesn’t mean it’s heading for production.

While the Toyota GT86/Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ is a lightweight and joyful ride if the reviews are to be believed, the 200 horsepower Boxer engine definitely leaves room for improvement. 0 to 60 mph takes 7.4 seconds, which if you can believe it is more than a second slower than Toyota’s own (V6) Camry sedan. Sure, the GT86 is said to handle like a dream, but it’s a lot easier to sell horsepower numbers than handling prowess. Even though a turbocharged or supercharged GT86 certainly makes sense, Toyota has recently shown a more daring side of itself with the 420 horsepower Yaris Hybrid-R concept.

The Yaris Hybrid-R has no shot at production, but a Toyota GT86 hybrid with a similar electric “boost” system could temporarily lift performance without hurting fuel economy. Koei Saga, chief drivetrain engineer for Toyota, told AutoCar that development of a hybrid GT86 is “quite advanced”, though he did not delve into details. Even a modest 50 horsepower increase could make a big difference in the performance of the GT86, and Toyota certainly has the technology for that.

Saga further muddied the waters by noting that Toyota has two hybrid systems to pull from; the hybrid Syngery drive used on the Prius, and the energy-recovering KERS system on the Le Mans-racing TS030. Trying to make a Prius out of the GT86 doesn’t make much sense though, and the Hybrid-R name would fit well as a higher-performance option of Toyota’s only sports car. I think it’s probably a safe bet which hybrid system the GT86 will get,espcially since there have been rumors of a hybrid Supra in the works as well. The two projects could be sharing technology and engineering talent while being developed side-by-side; one an affordable and fun sports car, the other an expensive and powerful supercar. This could be the start of a new Toyota sub-brand that’s supposedly under consideration.

All Saga is waiting for is the green light from top-tier executives. If anyone can pull off an affordable hybrid sports car for the common man, it’s the automaker with the most hybrid experience.

Source: AutoCar

Toyota provides some details on Yaris Hybrid-R 420hp powertrain; three 45 kW motors

The Yaris Hybrid-R features three 45 kW electric motors, one on each rear wheel and a third between the engine and transmission that operates as a generator. This third motor can act as an advanced traction control system. Click to enlarge.

At the Frankfurt Motor Show, Toyota will showcase the Yaris Hybrid-R concept, created as a showcase of possible ideas for the development of hybrid technology for maximum performance and increased driving pleasure. Toyota has now provided a few additional details about the powertrain in advance of the show.

The front wheels are driven by a 300 hp (224 kW) 4-cylinder 1.6 turbo gasoline direct injection engine specifically developed by Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG) according to the rules of the International Automobile Federation (FIA) for a Global Race Engine to be utilized in various motorsport disciplines.

1.6L GRE engine. Click to enlarge.

At the rear, each wheel is individually powered by a 60 hp (45 kW) electric motor—the same as those used in the standard Yaris Hybrid. Taken together, the hybrid powertrain system develops a total system output of up to 420 hp (313 kW).

The two electric motors work as electric generators during the braking phase, and supplement the petrol engine during the accelerating phases.

Just as in the TS030 HYBRID, the energy recovered during the braking phase is stored in a supercapacitor. Compared to the standard NiMH hybrid battery, the supercapacitor has a higher power density and a fast power charge / discharge speed. It is well-suited to the requirements of sporty driving on track, which requires brief and immediate bursts of power, Toyota said.

The level of power depends on the duration of energy delivery desired. In road mode, the supercapacitor releases the energy recovered under braking for a maximum duration of 10 seconds per charge and the total power of the two electric motors is reduced to 40 hp (30 kW). In track mode, the rear electric motors reach a combined maximum power of 120 hp (89 kW) for up to 5 seconds per charge, reflecting the higher frequency of braking and acceleration events during circuit driving.

A third 60 hp electric motor, located between the engine and the 6-gear sequential transmission, operates as a generator in two different cases: during deceleration to feed the supercapacitor and during acceleration to directly power the rear electric motors.

The latter will only happen when the engine power and torque exceed the grip potential of the front wheels. The generator behaves like an advanced traction control system, redirecting the torque as electric energy to the rear wheels, to boost the acceleration and improve the handling rather than to simply limit the engine power.

Rear electric motors—one per wheel—can greatly influence the Yaris Hybrid-R handling characteristics during cornering by altering the distribution of torque between the left and right rear wheels.

Each motor can be used independently as a generator or a motor to achieve the same effect as an intelligent torque vectoring differential.

Depending on the radius of the curve, the system can send more torque to the outside rear wheel allowing higher cornering speeds into the corner (middle-speed curves), apply more braking force to the inside wheel (fast curves), or even brake and accelerate each wheel independently (slow curves) to adjust the yaw effect for a better line, to limit steering angle, and understeer.