Renault has chosen the Twizy manufacturing plant in Valladolid, Spain, to present its new Twizy Renault Sport F1 concept car. This fun take on the brand’s electric urban compact features muscular styling and impressive performance credentials to serve as a bridge between the world of F1 technology and that of production cars.
Twizy Renault Sport F1 sits on the wheels of a single-seater race car and is equipped with a front splitter, side-pods, rear wing and a diffuser complete with an F1-style rain light which forcefully express the concept’s ties with motor racing’s premier category.
Twizy Renault Sport F1 is much more than just a concept. In addition to its spectacular looks, it delivers genuine high performance thanks to its Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) which is identical to the solution used by Renault-powered Formula 1 cars. The system instantly boosts power output six-fold to reach almost 100 horsepower and is capable of catapulting the car from standstill to 62 mph as quickly as Renault’s highest-performing road car, Mégane Renaultsport 265. This technological gem is the fruit of close collaboration between the engineers at Renaultsport and their colleagues at Renault Sport F1.
This extraordinary vehicle showcases Renault’s advanced expertise in electric technology employed in F1, notably in the field of KERS in which it was one of the precursors in 2009. Renault’s long-standing commitment to motor racing’s blue ribband category provides it with a unique technological laboratory, giving it an advantage not only in the world of race cars, but also in that of road cars.
Twizy Renault Sport F1 will be shown at major events throughout the year, beginning with its first public appearances at the World Series by Renault meeting at Aragon, Spain (April 27-28), followed by the Barcelona Motor Show.
Small but tough: a spectacular look inspired by Formula 1
Twizy Renault Sport F1’s calling is immediately apparent through its slick tyres (the same as those fitted to the Formula Renault 2.0 single-seater), as well as through its carbon splitter, side-pods and rear wing. Its unique proportions give it the appearance of a beast that is about to pounce yet which is still fun to drive.
Other features derived from the racing world are its single-seater type mirrors and diffuser, which incorporates the rain light of a Formula Renault 3.5 car. At the same time, the bulbs of the lights have been replaced by LEDs which, again mirroring the world of motor sport, consume less energy.
Meanwhile, Twizy’s rear seat has made way for the KERS which is visible inside a transparent housing. Last but not least, Twizy Renault Sport F1 is equipped with an F1-type steering wheel from the Renault Sport Technologies catalogue. To express the link with Formula 1 and the Renault Sport race car range, both Renault Sport F1 and Renault Sport Technologies contributed to Twizy Renault Sport F1’s design.
A Twizy boosted by F1-derived technology
Twizy Renault Sport F1’s performance credentials are founded on the use of the KERS employed by Renault-powered Formula 1 cars.
The KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) is designed to recover some of the kinetic energy which is generated under braking. Instead of being lost in the form of heat, this energy is recovered and stored before being used to momentarily boost power output, just as it is in Formula 1.
The KERS comprises three main elements: An electric motor-generator unit (MGU) directly linked to the driveshaft, specific lithium-ion batteries, and a KERS Control Unit (KCU). Mechanical energy > electrical energy > chemical energy.
As its name implies the motor-generator unit serves as both a generator and a motor. In ‘generator’ mode, it functions like a dynamo to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy which is then stored in a battery. To use this energy, it suffices to reverse the process. The system then switches to the ‘motor’ mode to use this stored energy to deliver a power boost to the wheels via the motor.
Six times the power output!
Twizy Renault Sport F1 is consequently equipped with two electric motors, i.e. Twizy’s original motor (17hp/13kW) onto which an F1-style KERS has been grafted to turn the concept car into a genuine pocket rocket with exceptional performance.
When the KERS is activated, Twizy Renault Sport F1’s power output climbs instantly six-fold, from 17 to 97 horsepower (72kW). This boost is available for approximately 13 seconds, just as it is in the case of a Formula 1 car. Thanks to this additional power, the concept car is capable of accelerating from standstill to 62 mph in the same time as Mégane Renaultsport 265.
Adapting KERS for Twizy
It goes without saying that Twizy Renault Sport F1 isn’t as fast as a single-seater race car. As a consequence, the kinetic energy produced under deceleration is insufficient to charge the KERS’ battery. To get round this problem, the experts at Renault Sport Technologies and Renault Sport F1 developed a system that enables the battery to be charged by siphoning power from the main motor. This solution gives the driver total independence over how the KERS is used.
An F1-type steering wheel derived from Renaultsport’s race car range
Twizy Renault Sport F1’s steering wheel is derived directly from that of the Formula Renault 3.5 race car. Its functions have been adapted for use on an electric vehicle equipped with KERS, while the rim is of a wider diameter.
The amount of energy recovered while the Recovery mode is activated can be adjusted using the four-position rotary knob. Another rotary knob enables the power boost to be set at one of six pre-set levels, ranging from 10 to 60kW.
The driver releases the energy stored by the KERS by activating the two steering wheel-mounted paddles at the same time. To show spectators that the system has been activated, the rain light incorporated in Twizy Renault Sport F1’s diffuser is switched on.
The concept comes with its own data logging system, with information displayed on a multi-page screen situated on the steering wheel. This display can be personalised to show information concerning both Twizy’s and the KERS F1 electronic systems.
A wide range of parameters can be displayed in real time, including the main battery’s level of charge, the KERS battery’s level of charge, oil pressure, water temperature, etc.
Twizy Renault Sport F1 is also equipped with an ‘RS Monitor’ data logging system similar to the one available for Mégane R.S. and New Clio R.S. 200 EDC. This allows the driver to monitor a number of performance-related parameters in real time (0-31 mph time, 0-62 mph time, 50- and 100-metre standing start times).
An electric vehicle which benefits from the combined technological expertise of Renault Sport Technologies and Renault Sport F1.
Renault Sport F1 and Renault Sport Technologies worked hand in hand to convert the KERS system for use on the Twizy Renault Sport F1 concept car and then fine-tune the resulting package.
Throughout the project, the collaboration between Renault’s two sporting departments was exemplary, and the combination of their taste for a challenge, their passion for motorsport and their prior knowledge of Twizy was key to the project’s success.
Based on an idea suggested by Renault Sport F1: thanks to the technological excellence it has acquired as a supplier of engines to a number of F1 teams, Renault Sport F1 wanted to communicate to a wider audience the savoir-faire it has built up in the realm of electric power thanks to KERS which became a part of the sport in 2009. Indeed, it was because of this very expertise that Renault’s F1 engine specialists were called in to play a part in the development of the standard Twizy’s electric motor in 2010. This grasp of the KERS used in F1 and of Twizy’s electric motor provided the perfect opportunity to bring the two worlds together.
A project that hit the ground running
Flashback to the European F1 Grand Prix at Valence, Spain, on June 21, 2012. In the busy paddock, with the countdown to the race well under way, a discussion is taking place between three people in the Renault Sport F1 motorhome. Renault’s KERS project leader Laurent Debailleul is talking about his involvement in the development of Twizy’s motor and of the latter’s parallels with racing technology. Almost as a joke, he says: “Why not fit Twizy with KERS?” Tarik Ait Said (Marketing Operations, Renault Sport F1) and Axel Plasse (Manager of Engine Engineering for the RS 27 V8 F1 engine) jump on the idea at once. The seed for Twizy Renault Sport F1 was sown, sparking off an immediate chain reaction…
Between the end of the summer and late-November 2012, Renault Sport F1, Renault Sport Technologies and Renault Design met frequently to evaluate the technical feasibility of the different options with a restricted budget. Their findings were then presented to Renault’s senior management who gave the green light at the end of December. In less than four months, the idea was transformed into a project sanctioned at the very highest level of the company.
An echo of the Espace F1…
Twizy Renault Sport F1 serves as an exciting bridge between the world of Formula 1 and that of production cars in much the same way as Espace F1 which was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in 1994. This prototype was the fruit of a partnership between Renault and Matra and was produced to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Espace’s launch. Its carbon fibre body was based on the design of the second-generation Espace.
Espace F1 used the same 820hp RS5 V10 3,500cc 40-valve engine as that which powered the Williams FW15C F1 car. It drove through a semi-automatic six-speed paddle-shift gearbox and the car was turned out in a striking yellow livery.
Comfortably strapped into bucket seats by three-point harness belts, the four passengers were able to enjoy a near-Formula 1 experience from the inside.
In addition to the fact that the two projects place the emphasis on ‘fun’, Espace F1 and Twizy RENAULT SPORT F1 both serve as eloquent illustrations of Renault’s desire to see production vehicles benefit from technologies developed for motorsport. Thanks to its 35 years of experience as an F1 engine supplier, Renault benefits from an exceptional technological laboratory which provides it with an undeniable advantage when it comes to developing vehicles of tomorrow.