MILESTONE January 2022
No. 7
P. 8 Yas Marina: F1’s Crown Jewel
P. 4 Top Fuel Drag Racing P. 12 Formula E in Hyderabad P. 20 Electric Powertrains
P. 24 New rules: F1 2022
MILESTONE The IIT Bombay Racing Magazine
Editors-in-Chief
Content Creators & Editors
Jagadish A Nikita Dipali Akshay Kumar Hardik Shrivastava Mahor Nagda M. B. Mrithyunjay Nikhil Challapalli Novashree Samantaray Pari Vermani Vikhyath Vagolu
Chief Designer
Sanat Prasad
Senior Designer
Limesh Verma
Design Team
Contact us
Website: www.iitbracing.org Jagadish A - Editor-in-Chief +91 81043 06430 Email: marketing@iitbombayracing.org
Abhiram N S Anushka Kokate Diganta Biswas Harshavardhan Patil Navdeep P Kumar Rishi Kumar Shyam Manchhani
Address
IIT Bombay Racing Department of Mechanical Engineering IIT Bombay Powai, Mumbai Maharashtra, India - 400076
CONTENTS ABOUT OUR TEAM
02
About our team
PER LA TIFOSI
04
Top Fuel Drag Racing
08
Yas Marina: F1’s Crown Jewel
12
Formula E in Hyderabad
16
Sir Stirling Moss
20
Deep Dive: Electric Powertrain
24
Same Game, New Rules: F1 2022
28
Electric Vehicles: Red light/ green light?
UNDER THE HOOD
FROM THE PRESS ROOM
SPARK FOR SUSTAINABILITY
MILESTONE
ABOUT OUR TEAM W
ith an aim to revolutionize electric mobility in India while focusing on sustainable technologies, IIT Bombay Racing is India’s premier Formula Student Electric team. We engineer high performance electric race cars to compete at Formula Bharat and Formula Student UK,which is Europe’s largest educational engineering competition attended by over 10,000 people and 110+ teams from all over the world and is also covered by the BBC network in the UK. Started by a small group of motivated engineers in 2012 in a tiny lab in the Mechanical engineering department, the team now comprises of 100+ highly enthusiastic undergraduate students from across all departments at IIT Bombay. We started with internal
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combustion engines, and made the switch to electric powertrains in 2012, after the BAJA competition. Vayu, our premier edition car, bagged the first-ever Indian perseverance award at FS Michigan and also won the best new-entrant award, competing with 25 other debutants. It has been a long journey ever since, progressing from Agni to the Prithvi series, we then shifted to electric vehicles. This marked a significant milestone in our progress. The first electric Formula student race car in India, Evo was built by us in just six months followed by Evo 2.0, which cleared all the scrutineering criteria to participate in the dynamic events, making us the
IIT BOMBAY RACING first Indian team to achieve such a feat. By the third attempt, we were able to complete both, including the endurance test. Since then, we have made incredible progress. We have developed Aluminium Honeycomb Monocoque Chassis, Carbon fibre A-arms, a hybrid planetary gearbox and also incorporated regenerative braking. One of the most revered teams in India today, we are continually striving with the same never-say-never attitude that we started with and are now capable of manufacturing carbon fibre parts entirely in house. We have designed and built 12 cars, with the 13th one on the way for the next competition. In the latest FSUK, we won the concept class championship. In India, we were the winners of the FSEV championship. We have also been winning the Formula Student Award for having the best year-onyear growth for 6 consecutive years.
Among our sponsors, the most notable would be our own institute-IIT Bombay- which has always supported us in our endeavours. However, equally significant are our sponsors, NRB Bearings, Mahle, and Wipro 3D among others. This dream would never shape out into reality if it weren’t for their help. Starting out with no idea of what had to be done to succeed, but with the will to do whatever it took, we have come a long way and, along with the support of our sponsors, hope to achieve new frontiers in the electric vehicle domain, creating unmatched engineers in the process. One of the most revered teams in India today, we are continually striving with the same neversay-never attitude that we started with and are now capable of manufacturing carbon fibre parts entirely in house. We have designed and built 12 cars, with the 13th one on the way for the next competition.
This journey is made possible only through the support of our sponsors and Industry collaborations. With their help, the team conceptualised and 3D printed titanium wheel uprights. We also designed our battery management system and our in-house aero package happens to be an innovation to reckon with.
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MILESTONE
Living life a quater mile at a time -
Top Fuel Drag Racing
by Vikhyath Vagolu Source: hswstatic.com
T
op fuel drag racing is a unique motorsport event showcasing tremendous raw horsepower and automotive prowess. For outsiders, travelling fast in a straight line may not seem to be such a challenging endeavour. I’m sure that if you were once sceptical about the sheer level of skill involved in this class of drag racing, you would change your mind after reading this article. The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) is a drag racing governing body based in the United States. They set rules and host events all across the USA and Canada. Top Fuel is a drag racing class listed by the NHRA and is widely regarded as the pinnacle class of automotive drag racing. Just by
“These cars traverse a quarter-mile (400m) in about 4.5 seconds, and reach up to 340mph at the end of the strip.” looking at some facts, this claim becomes evident. These cars traverse a quarter-mile (400m) in about 4.5 seconds, and reach up to 340mph at the end of the strip. They are the hardest accelerating vehicles on the planet, pulling about 5G’s, more than any fighter jet launch. It’s an astounding 3.2 on the Richter Scale as these cars move down the race track. The ground shakes, your lungs rattle. That’s how beastly these machines are. Let us look at parts of a top fuel car and see what makes them tick.
The Engine
Source: ytimg.com
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The NHRA rule book heavily restricts the engines for these beasts. The cars are powered by 500 cubic inch displacement Chrysler Hemi V8s, generating a peak horsepower figure of 11000. The engine block is made using billet aluminium. Dual magnetos
IIT BOMBAY RACING are used as spark plugs to ignite the fuel mixture. These magnetos generate approximately 44 amps of primary current, enough power to be used as arc welders.
“The cars are powered by 500 cubic inch displacement Chrysler Hemi V8s, generating a peak horsepower figure of 11000.” The Supercharger The supercharger is used to force air into the engine under pressure. A roots-style supercharger is fitted onto the engine in top fuel dragsters, making about 60 pounds of intake pressure. It takes a ridiculous 750 horsepower to spin the pulley of this supercharger. That is a lot of parasitic loss, but it pumps 3000 cubic feet of air per minute into the cylinders resulting in a significant horsepower gain.
The Fuel These cars take a mixture of 90 percent nitromethane and 10 percent methanol. Gasoline carries more energy per gallon, but nitromethane has its own oxygen source making the ideal air-
Source: motor1.com
fuel ratio 1.7:1, whereas gasoline has an ideal airfuel ratio of 14.7:1. Approximately 8.7 times more fuel can be squirted into the cylinders making nitromethane generate about 2.2 times more power than gasoline. Nitromethane also cools the engine during its vapourization. Each car has a 17-gallon tank connected to a fuel pump rated at 100 gal/ min. About 1.3 gallons of fuel gets consumed each second during a race.
“...it pumps 3000 cubic feet of air per minute into the cylinders...”
Source: circlesix.co
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MILESTONE
Source: hearstapps.com
The Clutch Top Fuel cars use a direct drive system, implying there is no transmission at play. The clutch pack includes disks, floaters, and a centrifugal clutch. This system is used to slip the clutch gradually. It is like starting a manual car in the highest possible gear and slowly releasing the clutch to build up speed. The clutch pack spikes up to 3700F during the first few tenths of the run, causing the disks to pretty much get welded to each other.
The Tyres Top Fuel dragsters make use of wrinkle wall slicks. When the race begins and the vehicle is accelerated, the tyres stick themselves down to the racetrack by essentially rolling themselves out. The tyre footprint
“the centrifugal force of rotation makes the tyre increase diameter from 36 inches to 44 inches.” increases, thereby not breaking traction at launch. As the car gains speed, the centrifugal force of rotation makes the tyre increase diameter from 36 inches to 44 inches. These tyres cost around 1500 dollars per pair and typically last only eight runs. Small tyres in the front of the car help maximise straight-line acceleration and speed.
The Management System The race track temperature is a critical parameter in determining the setup for a particular race. A small computer controls the clutch engagement, ignition timing, and fuel delivery settings. The final settings are put into the car in the staging lanes, just before the run. Once the final setup is dialled in, the car is rolled to the line, ready for a run down the strip. Source: ytimg.com
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IIT BOMBAY RACING The Run Before starting the race, the drivers perform a burnout to heat the tyres and lay down rubber on the track to make it more grippy and give them more traction at launch. After this, the cars are lined up on the starting line. The Christmas Tree is a series of lights used to start professional drag races. As the green light on the tree lights up, the drivers floor the gas pedal. By the time the rear tyres of the cars reach the location of the front tyres back when the car was lined up for launch(about 20 feet), the car does
“The cars reach 100mph in 0.8 seconds and 200mph in the next 1.4 seconds.” 70mph. The cars reach 100mph in 0.8 seconds and 200mph in the next 1.4 seconds. At the end of a 1000 feet run, in 3.62 seconds, they finish at a whopping 335mph. The brake parachutes are engaged, and the car comes to a stop with the help of ceramic brakes.
The Ref urbish Process Since the car generates so much power at the end of each run, the engine virtually destroys itself,
“All their efforts lie on a run that takes a mere 4 seconds to complete.” requiring a complete rebuild. The vehicle is brought back to the pits, wherein a matter of 40 minutes, the crew strip up the car’s entire engine and rebuild it replacing parts such as the clutch, pistons, connecting rods, rings, and spark plugs, etc. One run down the strip consumes more than 5000 dollars in fuel, bearings, valve springs, and other parts. An interesting fact about the drivers is that women can drive faster and sustain more G’s than men without passing out. The reason is that women’s hearts are higher up in the chest, and they get a better supply of oxygen to the brain, whereas men are prone to pass out. A top fuel drag racing season is the ultimate test for a team’s machinery, systems, and crew. All their efforts lie on a run that takes a mere 4 seconds to complete. Hence we can see how this racing category requires extreme skill and precision in building and handling these incredible machines, and is most definitely not one for the faint-hearted.
Source: hearstapps.com
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Source: motorsport.com
MILESTONE
Yas Marina - F1’s Crown Jewel by Nikhil Challapalli
Y
as Marina is perhaps the circuit that started the motorsports revolution in the Middle East. There is no other Middle-Eastern circuit as iconic as the Abu Dhabi circuit. Located on Yas Island, about 30 minutes from the capital of UAE, Abu Dhabi, Yas Marina was designed by the controversial German designer, Hermann Tilke. He is responsible for designing quite a few modern tracks including Buddh International Circuit, Istanbul park, COTA, Sochi, and the Marina Bay Street Circuit. The success of Yas Marina has caught the attention of F1 fans in the Middle East, and investors alike.
Source: thesportsrush.com
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The 5.5km track with an average lap speed of 193km/hr is no slouch. The high-quality tarmac imported from Shropshire, England provides
“The circuit consists of numerous sharp rightangled turns ensuring the drivers are on their toes at all times.”
Yas Marina- Racetrack
a superior level of grip. The track is fairly flat and consists of 21 turns (16 in the updated layout) with several demanding braking zones. The circuit consists of numerous sharp right-angled turns ensuring the drivers are on their toes at all times. Turns 1 through 4 are fairly straightforward and can be completed almost flatout. The older track included a sharp braking point and chicanes at turns 5 and 6 which have now been removed, and
m
IIT BOMBAY RACING Source: adsc.ae
the turn 7 hairpin widened. These efforts have been aimed at making the Mercedes-dominant track more
Flypast celebrates UAE National Day at Grand Prix
“... efforts have been aimed at making the Mercedes-dominant track more racingfriendly.”
“One of the most iconic features of the Yas Marina circuit is its pit...”
racing-friendly. Then comes the first long DRS straight. The widened hairpin is expected to result in much better overtaking opportunities down the straight. The straight ends with a sharp braking zone followed by two squared turns. Then comes the second DRS straight followed by a banked 180-degree turn which had replaced the 90 degree turns 11 through 14. The next few fast squared turns are fairly straightforward, ending with a pass under the Yas Marina hotel. The hotel section has undergone subtle changes as well to allow for closer racing. One of the most
Source: roadtrips.com
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S
MILESTONE Source: planetf1.com
Race track for The Grand Prix iconic features of the Yas Marina circuit is its pit exit which goes under the track and emerges back up allowing for a visual spectacle. Initially, the track received great response from drivers. Nico Rosberg found the track quite exciting and Fernando Alonso was quoted saying
“...the final section was a bit monotonous and boring.”
“there was always something to do”. There have been a few criticisms of the track as well. Notably, the track lacked exciting racing. While qualifying was smooth as butter, overtaking opportunities were few and far between during the race. A large number of braking points meant the constant breaking of tow and the presence of dirty air, resulting in difficult overtaking. While the initial sections of the track were fast and exciting, the final section was a bit monotonous and boring.
“...Mercedes winning for 6 consecutive seasons...” Over the years, many drivers and teams have suggested making changes to the track. These calls were finally acknowledged and the track underwent a few significant changes for the 2021 season.
Source: planetf1.com
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Sebastian Vettel
Ever since its inception, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix has been the final race of the season. This has inherently made it an interesting race, at least when the title race has been drawn to the very last race. The end of the race is always something to look out for with a couple of donuts virtually guaranteed. While the inaugural 2009 Abu
Source: cdnwallpaper.com
IIT BOMBAY RACING
Dhabi Grand Prix was won by the Redbull driver Sebastian Vettel; given the Mercedes dominance in the turbo-hybrid era, it is no surprise that the trend continues at the Yas Marina circuit, with Mercedes winning for 6 consecutive seasons from 2014-2019. The 2021 season brought in heightened expectations with the two title rivals Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen at even points. To much delight of the fans, The added changes to the track promised closer racing as well. And boy was it an exciting race! While it might be unfair to completely attribute the thriller season-ender to the updated track, we did see a fair amount of overtaking throughout the race, most notably Max Verstappen’s title Source: media.tacdn.com
“...world’s fastest roller-coaster, Formula Rossa.” clenching overtake in the controversial last lap. Unlike the fast-flowing corners of Silverstone, the crazy undulations at Spa-Francorchamps, or the flat-out banked turns at Zandvoort, the Yas Marina track doesn’t have anything special. Its major selling point is the whole ecosystem built around it. The development includes a Ferrarithemed park that houses the world’s fastest rollercoaster, Formula Rossa. There is also a vast water park within the same establishment. These amenities aside, the most iconic part of the track is the W Abu Dhabi hotel with its spectacular views of the track and the marina. The hotel lights up beautifully at night, making the Grand Prix all the more exhilarating to watch. The track also has its own luxury residential villas complete with track-facing garages. All in all, the Yas Marina circuit is less of an F1-centered track and more of a complete driver’s paradise.
Ferrari World- Abu Dhabi
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MILESTONE
Hyderabad Formula E’s next pit stop by Novashree Samantaray
Source: indiatoday.in
Y
es, we, motorheads, have read the exciting news right. Formula E is coming to India! The electrified [ pun intended :) ]vision and swift decisions of Shri KT Rama Rao, Minister for MA & UD, Industries & Commerce, and IT of Telangana has made the dream of many motorheads come true. The Telangana Government and the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) signed the letter of intent in January 2022 to let Hyderabad host the 9th edition of the Formula E World Championship. It’s the first time a global sporting event, especially a motorsport event, is going to be held in India.
Source: evoindia.com Hyderabad street circuit
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“Formula E is coming to India! The electrified vision...” Formula E is the fastest growing motorsport series and is the first international sport to be certified with a net-zero carbon footprint since inception, replacing the traditional fuel-based cars with sustainable, electric cars. It was founded in 2011 in Paris and received the FIA championship status in 2020. Even during the pandemic-hit season in 2020, boasting of a cumulative viewership of 500 million, it saw a 32% y-o-y growth in viewership, making it a promising motorsport series on the rise. With sustainability deeply rooted in its DNA, Formula E aspires to accelerate towards an electric future. It also provides an opportunity for automotive manufacturing companies to progress and test new technologies in the EV domain. Unlike Formula One, Formula E does not require any tracks to be laid; the race happens on the existing street roads.
IIT BOMBAY RACING
Source: autoesque.com
The streetcar race in Hyderabad, exclusive to electric vehicles, will occur near Tank Bund on a 2.3 km long road with eight turns. India is an excellent platform for Formula E with the 4th largest automotive market and a rapidly growing EV market. The Indian EV market is currently in its infancy, and is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 90% from 2022 to 2030. With ambitious 2030 renewable energy and sustainability targets of the Indian Government, collaboration with Formula E is a step in the right direction.
“It’s the first time a global sporting event, especially a motorsport event is going to be held in India.”
Source: fiaformulae.com
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MILESTONE The Government of Telangana and Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation have taken up many futuristic and green initiatives over the last few years. Hyderabad is a technology hub housing over 23 EV startups, attracting over Rs.4000 crores of investment in the EV sector of Telangana, and is a key player in producing clean electricity. Formula E and Telangana State Government share the same ideals of sustainability, development and electrification, making Hyderabad the best Indian candidate for a host city. With Formula E coming to Hyderabad, it joins the league of Beijing, Putrajaya, Punta Del Este, Buenos Aires, Miami, Long Beach, Berlin, Moscow, Paris, Hong Kong and other cities that have hosted the race in the past.
“India; the 4th largest automotive market and a rapidly growing EV market.”
Source: fia.com
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Source: thehindu.com
The Indian EV market is bound to profit off this agreement. It will put not just the nation, but also Indian manufacturers like Mahindra (one of the founding teams of Formula E) and Indian startups who develop EV technologies, on the international roadmap. The semiconductor industry of India can also thrive off this arrangement and witness the development of technologies making Indian EVs robust and comparable in terms of speed and distance to traditional fuel-based vehicles. It will
IIT BOMBAY RACING
Source: stanzaliving.com
“With Formula E coming to Hyderabad, it joins the league of Beijing, Hong Kong, Paris...”
also help alter common perceptions and encourage Indians to switch to electric mobility. Apart from the apparent boost in the Indian EV market, Formula E will also raise awareness and inspire the younger audience to adopt sustainable practices and reduce urban air pollution and carbon emissions.
Source: 10tv.in
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MILESTONE
Sir Stirling Moss
Source: theguardian.com
by Akshay Kumar
The driver who missed the championship but not greatness.
S
portsmen are always remembered for the championships they won or missed, but such is the extraordinary life Sir Stirling Moss lived, that his inability to win an F1 championship is a mere footnote in his life. He was born in Surrey to a dentist father who had dabbled in racing, and a horse rider mother, who also raced. Young moss was an accomplished horse rider but found them difficult to steer. No such complaints were made about motor cars. His passion for racing was evident since his childhood. He had begged his father for an out of order Austin at the tender age of nine. By the age of fifteen, he had acquired his driving licence. Using his saved up equestrian award money and selling his Austin he bought a Morgan, and later went on to buy an MG. His talent for racing was undeniable and his winning mentality was unquestionable. He later got his hands on a Cooper-JAP running on a 500cc motorcycle engine and he drove it in the Formula Three series. His first single-seater race came in 1948 at the Brough aerodrome.
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“Soon people began to whisper and eventually it reached the ears of Enzo Ferrari.” But all this would comprise the “humble beginnings”, as the driver went on to become a legend on the track. He toured Italy and France and would also take part in a support race to the Monaco Grand Prix. After recording the best practice time, he went on to win the race. Soon people began to whisper and eventually it reached the ears of Enzo Ferrari. Enzo had quipped that Moss would have won multiple championships if he had been more reasonable.
IIT BOMBAY RACING Enzo may have been wise but he surely was not fore-sighted. Moss and his father had made the long journey to sign a contract, offered by Ferrari in 1951, only for them to be snubbed and come back emptyhanded. If Enzo expected more reason from Moss he surely miscalculated as he only got fury. Moss took this opportunity to make sure that he tried his hardest to beat Ferrari, especially if he was driving a British car. A testimony to the man’s career, a snub by Enzo Ferrari also did not stop the inevitable rise of this talented and dynamic driver. A gruelling 12 hour Sebring was the stage on which Moss announced himself internationally. This was followed by the most influential period of Moss’s career. He decided to enter Formula One. He and his manager approached Mercedes-Benz. The current allconquering behemoth was on its way back to Grand Prix racing. Benz felt they needed a more experienced driver and declined Moss’s offer. Eventually, Moss’s manager and his father acquired a Maserati 250F. A new model and also tantalisingly built by one of Ferrari’s rivals.
This is when everything started to come together, Moss loved his new car and celebrated this at Aintree 200, his first Formula One victory. Maserati was happy with his performance. By the time Moss was
Source: edition.cnn.com
“This is when everything started to come together...” rolling out in the German Grand Prix, he was being supported by the official Maserati team. Moss was poised for victory at the Monza too but a cruel oil pipe breakage cut short his race. Meanwhile, Mercedes felt that Moss had gained the required experience. They signed him as a No.2 to Juan Manuel Fangio, the world champion. For all the talent Moss possessed he was also a true gentleman, no traces of the ego monster. He developed a warm friendship with Fangio. Source: sportscardigest.com When Fangio took the slipstream at the British Grand Prix he saw Moss become the first Briton to win his home Grand Prix. Moss always pondered whether Fangio, who had wrapped up the title at that point, allowed him to win.
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MILESTONE 1955 was an eventful year for Moss. He also won the Mille Miglia - a race radically different from a Grand Prix; a time trial event that navigates around 1000 miles of Italian public roads. Moss and his co-driver, journalist Denis Jenkinson prepared their notes on a roll of paper but they must have been some good notes as they completed the course in record time. A trip from Brescia to Rome was completed in 10 hours and 7 minutes at an average speed of 97.95mph, a record that will last forever as the race was discontinued due to the death of several spectators.
“Moss suffered two broken legs and multiple fractures. He was back in two months to race again.”
Source: centralfifetimes.com As Mercedes left Formula One, which sounds absurd today, Moss returned to Maserati and Fangio went to Ferrari. Moss made the chequered flag at Monaco, and Monza, but was still a runner-up to Fangio in the Championship. Moss accepted to join Vanwall in 1957 with a burning desire to win races in a British car. The union faced a rough start and at Aintree, Moss fell out of the lead due to engine problems. He took over his teamm`ate’s car as he was still dealing with injuries suffered in the Le Mans. He took over at ninth, but took the lead with 20 laps remaining and went on to win it. These were followed by victories at Pescara and Monza, quite satisfying for the British car and driver duo.
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By 1958, Moss was the best driver on the circuit. Freakishly dynamic, he won at Buenos Aires with a little two-litre Cooper-Climax, an entry by his friend Rob Walker. Even at his peak, after winning the Dutch, Portuguese and Moroccan Grand Prix, he finished runner-up to Hawthorn in the championship. An unfortunate crash traumatised the Vanwall owner causing him to withdraw his cars from the competition. Moss was left without a car, and in 1959, he reunited with Walker. The new car was not very predictable and had many issues. But Moss’s talent shone through even with a shaky car. But bad luck would strike in 1960 as
IIT BOMBAY RACING the driver crashed in a practice session, just as the driver had won Monaco earlier. Moss suffered two broken legs and multiple fractures. He was back in two months to race again. His extraordinary talent powered the outdated Lotus to legendary races at Monaco and Nurburgring. Such was his prowess that no shortcomings of machinery ever made him uncompetitive.
sport in many forms. He always insisted that he just liked racing, but underneath the happy-go-lucky exterior lay an indisputable champion. Mercedes unveiled the Mercedes-Benz SLR Stirling Moss in 2009, a stunningly beautiful car, fitting tribute to a man who always thrilled everyone with his talent and speed. Mercedes-Benz SLR Stirling Moss
All this was to culminate in an incredulous reunion with Ferrari. What would follow was not only shocking but sad. A gruesome accident at Goodwood cut short a legendary career. The damage to his body was immense and he was left in a coma for a month. He announced his retirement a year later. Such tragic circumstances never dampened his spirits and he continued to be a spokesperson for the
Source: carscoops.com
Source: jamesbond.fandom.com
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MILESTONE
Deep Dive: Electric Powertrain
By Hardi
S
T
he first thought that comes to mind when someone mentions ‘electric car’ might be motors. Motors are the living heart of an electric car in flesh and blood copper coils and magnets. They generate the mechanical energy required to move the car and transmit that to the wheels.
Similarly, a transmission system tweaks the motor output according to the requirement of wheels while keeping the total energy the same. There are several components in the transmission system but we will keep our focus on the gearbox for this discussion.
But is that all? Do the wheels get powered by the motors directly? As you might have guessed by now, that’s not the complete picture. There is a set of components that comes under the transmission system to perform the task of transmitting the mechanical energy generated by the motor to the wheels. But why do we need a transmission system in the first place? Take a simple example of cooking. Raw vegetables have all the nutrients, vitamins, etc. required by our body and they can be consumed without cooking. But we cook them and convert their form in order to make it easier for us to consume them.
“An interesting fact about gears is that their geometry is such that the tooth which is in contact, never slides on each other but rolls on each other...”
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IIT BOMBAY RACING
n
ik Shrivastava
A gearbox is a component that consists of gears arranged in a certain manner. Now let’s find a little more technical answer to the question which is, “why is a gearbox required?” Before answering this question we should first look at the output of an electric motor. An electric motor rotates at a certain speed which we call Revolutions per Minute (RPM). Along with this, it also generates a “rotational force” on any component attached to it, which is known as Torque. Now the interesting bit is that the Torque produced by the motor, and its RPM is dependent on each other according to a curve known as the Torque-RPM curve.
increased then where did that extra “rotational force” come from? Did it generate that internally? The answer is no. The extra torque comes at the expense of reduced output RPM. Since output power is proportional to the product of torque and RPM, the RPM is reduced by the exact same factor by which the torque is increased, in order to keep the output power the same as the input power. This factor is known as the gear ratio or the reduction ratio of the Gearbox. Source: eltrex-motion.com
Source: tesla.com
If the motor is to be directly attached to the wheels then the maximum torque delivered to the wheels would be Tmax but the requirement could be higher. Hence a gearbox is used to achieve this goal. A gearbox uses different arrangements of gears to increase the output torque. But if the torque is
Source: mathworks.com
Graph of speed vs torque curve of an electric motor
Spur gears
As mentioned earlier, the gearbox consists of an arrangement of gears due to which there are several types of gear systems possible. The simplest one which is also used in most commercial vehicles is the Spur Gear system. It consists of two gears, one the driver and another the driven, of different diameters and a different number of teeth. The gear ratio of this type of gearset is equal to the ratio of the number of teeth in driven gear to the number of teeth in driving gear. An interesting fact about gears is that their geometry is such that the tooth which is in contact (technically called a tooth in mesh), never slides on each other but rolls on each other. This particular profile is known as the involute profile.
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MILESTONE An Electric Vehicle (EV) consists of only a single gear ratio while an Internal Combustible Engine (ICE) Vehicle consists of various spur gears to achieve different gear ratios. The reason is primarily the difference in the Torque-RPM curve of the Motor and IC engines.
Source: explainstuff.com
When the vehicle starts from rest, it is in the low RPM region at which the IC engine is not able to provide a sufficient amount of torque to accelerate the vehicle which is not the case with electric motors. Hence a high gear ratio is needed in the low RPM region for the IC engine. As the vehicle approaches a high RPM region, the torque requirement decreases which means a lower gear ratio is needed in those regions.
“Interestingly, when we apply the first gear then the gearbox operates at the highest gear ratio, and in the fifth gear, the gear ratio is lowest...”
Comparison between RPM vs torque curve of electric motor and IC engine
Source: lubizol.com
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So there is a requirement of different gear ratios at different speeds for IC engines which is achieved using a complex arrangement of spur gears along with other different components.
IIT BOMBAY RACING Source: engineeringchoice.com
A bicycle chain and sprocket Interestingly, when we apply the first gear then the gearbox operates at the highest gear ratio, and in the fifth gear, the gear ratio is lowest. This is also consistent with the reasoning we saw earlier. Until here we have talked about gears being used in different systems of the gear sets. But there is another type of transmission system which doesn’t use gears to achieve the desired gear ratio. We have all seen it in our dayto-day life but yet do not acknowledge the beauty of it. It’s the Chain drive.
We have all seen this in our bicycles but never realized its importance. It consists of a roller chain tied between two “gear type looking things” which are known as Sprockets. This system is not limited to bicycles but is also used in some Formula Electric Race Cars. If you observe the chain drive in a normal bicycle (without gears) closely then you will realize that the driver sprocket has more teeth than the driven sprocket. This means that the gear ratio in a normal bicycle is less than 1 implies that the torque is reduced and RPM is increased at the wheels. This is one of the reasons why it takes less effort to achieve high speeds on a bicycle than say running on a straight road. This is also the reason why it takes much more effort to go uphill on a bicycle than to run uphill at the same speed.
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Source: formula1.com
MILESTONE
Same Game, New Rules: F1 2022 by Mahor Nagda
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ith the 2021 season getting over in a rather controversy-ridden finish, the battle for who deserves the championship? Was Lewis robbed? Did Masi do the right thing? Are race regulations now a joke?, will keep continuing. But, what we as F1 fans can look forward to is the massive amount of changes that are going to happen in 2022. Red Bull Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey called these the biggest changes in F1 since 1983.
Tyre changes The tyres are probably the biggest visual difference that is present between the old cars and the new F1 cars. F1 is moving to 18-inch diameter wheels from the previous 13-inch wheels in 2021. This in turn means that the sidewall of the tyres is getting significantly thinner. The old F1 tyres had a 340 mm wide sidewall, but the new ones have it significantly chopped down to a 260 mm sidewall. The brakes also get significantly larger in this year’s car. But well, you might wonder - all of these are just numbers, what difference does it make to the sport? To understand this, we need to understand how suspension on F1 cars works. In modern-day F1 tracks there exist a lot of curbs and bumps. This means that the car drives over a lot of surfaces that
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need a very good suspension system to not lose downforce and to not skid or to not damage the chassis and not wear off the tyres more than needed. So, some tracks have a very bumpy ride - i.e. they have corners where you will have to ride the curb a lot. Depending on a variety of setups like this teams change their suspension setup. For example, on tracks that need high downforce, like Monaco or Singapore, the race engineers run a relatively soft suspension to ride the curbs as much as possible to get speed through corners. Whereas on high-speed tracks like Monza - they will have a stiff suspension to gain speed. But, the setup changes currently are marginal with suspension, because the teams heavily rely on the deformation of the large sidewall tyres to help with
‘‘..in 2022 the sidewall gets considerably smaller, race engineers are going to need to fine-tune their suspension more..’’
IIT BOMBAY RACING
Source: formula1.com
suspension. Now that in 2022 the sidewall gets considerably smaller, race engineers are going to need to fine-tune their suspension more. This means that leads to more variety in racing and setups and setup strategies become key. The other impact of tyres is that the line of action of force is further away from the point of application, reducing the acceleration. But this effect may
‘‘..what F1 has done in 2022 is that they have made several aerodynamic changes like a fully reworked front wing design..”
Source: formula1.com
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prove to be negligible as gearbox setups will also be tweaked by teams accordingly. Monza is going to be an interesting event next year because these larger tyres can reach higher top speeds due to their larger circumference.
Aerodynamic changes This is by far the most impactful change in F1 that is going to take place in 2022. F1 struggles from one large issue when cars follow each other. When air comes at an attack angle to the front wing and under the chassis, it is diverted and creates a hole behind the car around which there is very dense air. This hole creates a slipstream (which is when a car follows another on a straight and gains a lot of speed because
“..now teams have to work with brand new aerodynamics, new setups and new tyres..” 26
Source: hips.hearstapps.com
“..the vibrations become high and the tyres of the car that is following heat up and wear off a lot..” they don’t have to push through the air because of the hole created by the car ahead). But, when this same following car now starts following the other car on turns and corners, the gush of dirty dense air hits it. This dirty air is so significant that cars lose up to 50% of their downforce, the vibrations become high and the tyres of the car that is following heat up and wear off a lot. Thus, this makes following cars very very hard, and thus deteriorates the quality of racing. What F1 has done in 2022 is that they have made several aerodynamic changes like a fully reworked front wing design, a rear wing with rolled tips, a 3D floor with ridges instead of a flat piece and better side vents. This means that they are trying and
Source: formula1.com
IIT BOMBAY RACING
diverting the dirty air upward rather than around the slipstream created. This might seem nonquantitative. Hence, just to put some numbers to it - the downforce lost at 20m changes from 35% to 4% and the downforce lost at 10m changes from 46% to 18%. Thus, 2022 is going to have much much better racing because of the cars being able to follow each other.
Other changes and their effects The budget restrictions that were put in place in 2021 where each constructor had a spending cap of 145M$ did not bring equality because the teams didn’t have to design fully new models from scratch. But, now teams have to work with brand new aerodynamics, new setups and new tyres, which means that teams are likely to start on a more equal footing next year. Parts have now been classified into types to save costs for replacements and make the boundary on what is a forgery of design and what is not more clear. This will lead to things like the 2020 Racing.
“..Parts have now been classified into types to save costs for replacements and make the boundary on what is a forgery of design..” Tyre warming blankets that the pit crew uses to warm tyres up to 80 degrees celsius so that they are not glassy are going to be banned. Now the tyres will be cooked to a hotter temperature and be non-glassy even before they are put in the car. Cars now have to pass tests of safety to withstand 10% more impact on front and rear - leading to slightly safer racing. So, overall in 2022, F1 will have closer racing, more equitability, very different looking cars and more variables. Thus, we have a very exciting new season coming up that everyone is pumped for, irrespective of whether you’re a Lewis fan or Max fan.
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Electric Vehicles: Green Light/Red Light?
-Pari Vermani and Vikhyath Vagolu
www.walletgenius.com
A
s the EV hype continues across the globe, rapidly making its way to India, it’s often advertised as the magical green solution to all our automobile emission problems. But just how true is that? Are EVs really worth redesigning our entire automobile infrastructure for? We present a breakdown comparison of automobile emissions through different stages — manufacturing, usage, and end-of-life processing. Vehicle manufacturing emissions Global warming emissions occur during manufacturing any vehicle regardless of its power source. However, the production of Battery-Electric vehicles results in higher emissions than Internal Combustion Engine vehicles. Manufacturing the average Internal Combustion Engine vehicle produces about seven metric tonnes
of carbon dioxide. This figure considers everything from the mining for the raw materials and the manufacturing processes until it’s eventually sold to a customer. However, the production of an average BEV releases about 8-10 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide. The added emissions from BEV production depend primarily on the type of battery used in the vehicle. Studies were done on two cars that have different-sized batteries. The Nissan Leaf, a midsize, midrange (84 miles per charge) BEV, adds anywhere from 1 to 5.3 tonnes of carbon dioxide in emissions to produce its battery of capacity 30KWh. In contrast, the Tesla Model S, a full-size, long-range (264 miles per charge) BEV, emits anywhere between 6 - 17.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide for its battery rated at 100KWh. Let’s look into the production process of the BEV battery and why it is environmentallyunfriendly.
“Manufacturing the average Internal Combustion Engine vehicle produces about seven metric tonnes of carbon dioxide.”
The main culprit is Lithium mining. The batteries of these vehicles are Li-ion, and they comprise around 6% lithium. This may seem like a tiny amount, but the mining process of Lithium is very tedious and produces a lot of greenhouse gases. The majority of the world’s lithium supply comes from the “Lithium Triangle,” an area between Chile, Bolivia, and Argentina. It’s the Andes mountains here that make Lithium mining possible. Over millions of years, minerals from the mountains leached into the ground. They collected together and formed huge salt beds rich in Lithium, sulfate, potassium, and
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IIT BOMBAY RACING boron. Mining companies pump this brine solution up through the beds and store the liquid in large ponds. From there, the sun evaporates away from the water, leaving the minerals and salt behind. It takes a whopping 750 tonnes of brine to produce just one tonne of Lithium. In a region of Chile called Salar de Atacama, mining companies have used as much as 65 percent of the region’s water. Similarly, a growing concern surrounds the sourcing of cobalt, where it’s more of an ethical problem as some mines employ child labour. Vehicle use emissions According to figures estimated by the United States Department of Energy, the average gasolinepowered vehicle generates around 5.2 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions each year. This is while
“The average lifetime for an electric vehicle is around ten years.”
“Even if we consider replacing the battery, it will break even in about 3.5 years, which is reasonable.” driving the national average of about 12000 miles a year. BEV’s also produce greenhouse emissions when driven. These are not tailpipe emissions but emissions caused by the production of electric power fed into these vehicles for operation. Each area’s electric power comes from various sources, and a lot of these sources emit greenhouse gases for electricity generation. A place powered by coal gives very different numbers than an area powered by, let’s say, hydroelectricity. Averaging out all these numbers, the average BEV produces about 1.7 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions each year. This value is far lesser in comparison to internal combustion enginepowered vehicles. Even in West Virginia, where 90% of the electric power comes from coal, the average BEV produces only about 4 tonnes per year which is
www.aeplcdn.com
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www.virta.global.com
“About seventy percent of the electric power comes from coal and natural gas in India.” still an acceptable number. However, hybrid vehicles seem to decrease the emission numbers in these states further. The average hybrid vehicle in West Virginia produces only about 2.8 tonnes of emissions a year.
We have concluded that the initial environmental footprint for the average EV is relatively high compared to the average gasoline vehicle. A simple calculation can determine the time required by an electric car to offset emissions. On both sides of the equation, if we add production costs for both types of vehicles and add the annual emissions multiplied by the time on both sides, upon solving, we get the required value in years. By plugging in the average values of emissions for both types of vehicles, it is calculated that in just 1.67 years, the average electric car will be producing fewer emissions
Vehicle end-of -life emissions When an automobile comes to the end of its life, it undergoes processing to determine which parts can be reused, recycled, or must be discarded. This process also emits greenhouse gases, but a study from Yale University found that these emissions for both electric and gasoline-powered vehicles are negligible compared to usage and production. The Verdict Now that we have the numbers in hand, we can answer the earlier question: Are EVs really worth it?
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IIT BOMBAY www.nissanusa.com RACING
than its gasoline competitors. Even if we consider replacing the battery, it will break even in about 3.5 years, which is reasonable. For only higher capacity batteries, though, the story is a little different. It takes as much as 5.5 years for an IC engine vehicle to catch up in emissions. These results again vary drastically depending on the energy sources of the particular area. In West Virginia, for example, a small capacity battery vehicle breaks even in about 5.4 years. In contrast, a highcapacity battery vehicle takes as much as 17.8 years to break even, which is a ridiculously high number. The greenest form of transport comes from hybrids or plug-in hybrids in these states.
The average lifetime for an electric vehicle is around ten years. Considering this figure, currently, in the US, the greenest option for about half the states is fully electric vehicles and hybrids or plug-in hybrids for the other half. An IC engine vehicle is not a green option anymore. About seventy percent of the electric power comes from coal and natural gas in India. Since the number is quite high, Hybrids and plug-in hybrids are excellent choices for personal transportation. The majority of the driving will be low speed and use the electric motor. The gasoline engine can be operated for longer drives, making it convenient and environmentally-friendly. As electricity production becomes greener in areas, which it tends to do, an electric vehicle becomes the best possible option.
“Since the number is quite high, Hybrids and plug-in hybrids are excellent choices for personal transportation.” 31 www.hindustantimes.com
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