The most breath-taking terms for any car the horsepower, the top speed and the maximum acceleration all originate from the powerhouse of car i.e. the powertrain. Fuel burns runs the engine and we hear the shocking voice of a car running at 200 M/h with a staggering acceleration with speeds reaching up to 100 Km/h in just 2 seconds, yes that’s the F1 car. How is this even achieved?
The answer is power and torque the two main components deciding the overall performance of a car on a track which is decided by the powertrain subsystem. IITR Motorsports being a formula student team might not reach the peak of speeds but we don’t lack much behind in acceleration achieving a top speed 100km/h slightly greater than 3 seconds ( FS world record 1.51 seconds). In such a tense competition between speed and manoeuvrability, we tend to obtain maximum overall performance of the car in a straight line and also on tight curves which decides our gear ratio i.e. the torque input to wheels.
We make Electric vehicles so power comes from the motor, our current car is driven by a single 80 kW motor reaching peak torque of about 192Nm. Further, the drive train of the car comprises of single-stranded chain with a driving and driven sprocket. A Quaife ATB differential with tripod joint is used to have differential action across the corners. Further it comprises of axles and a specially designed hub which could reduce weight. An eccentric chain tensioner has been incorporated in design to tighten the chain and there are separate mounts for motor and differential assembly.
Apart from these physical components, the real heart of powertrain lies in the calculation and models we develop here at IITR Motorsports which helps us deciding the main parameters of car and simulating it with a great accuracy resembling the real world. We aim at using torque vectoring for our next car if it helps to achieve a better performance, this would form a base of what would be our dream project a driverless car.
“The winner ain’t the one with the fastest car, it’s the one who refuses to lose.” -Dale Earnhardt
