Yokogawa Measurement Technologies has entered into a sponsorship deal with Oxfordshire-based Drayson Racing Technologies to support Drayson’s development of electrically driven racing cars.
The sponsorship agreement involves Yokogawa supplying Drayson with selected items of test equipment including oscilloscopes and power meters, in exchange for which the Yokogawa logo will be displayed on the Lola-Drayson B12/69EV Le Mans prototype electric drive racing car.
The culmination of Drayson Racing’s long experience in green technology since pioneering bio-ethanol fuels in 2007, this new vehicle has been designed to demonstrate the potential of green technologies in the harsh environment of motorsport.
Project pioneer Lord Drayson, former UK minister of science & innovation, managing partner at Drayson Racing Technologies and president of the Motorsport Industry Association, commented, “Electric racing represents a considerable new business opportunity for motorsport and underlines the growing commercial potential of green racing technology. Electric powered racing is really taking off with the launch of the new FIA Formula E world championship for electric racing cars planned for 2013, and we are thrilled to be at the forefront of the push for innovation at such an exciting time for the sport and the industry.”
The Lola-Drayson B12/69EV racing car incorporates a number of technical advances such as inductive charging, composite battery power, moveable aerodynamics and electrical regenerative damping. With a power output of over 850 horsepower, it also aims to be the fastest electrically powered racing car yet developed.
Angus Lyon, chief engineer, Electric Drive Train, with Drayson Racing Technologies, is enthusiastic about the benefits of the sponsorship agreement for his development work, “The Yokogawa test instruments will help us to address a number of challenges in the design of critical components of the drive train – in particular, identifying and eliminating the cause of electrical noise and interference that inevitably occur in the harsh automotive environment.”
