TitansRX is pleased to announce the REAL-E initiative for 2020 with the goal of making TitansRX more environmentally friendly than a battery-electric racing series.
Beginning in 2020, the European rallycross series will implement measures in three areas which will immediately and substantially improve the ecological impact:
Firstly, as in the debut season, two races per event will continue to be held, thus reducing the resource consumption of spectators, organisers and teams by 50 percent.
Secondly, TitansRX will use a more advanced Hoosier Rallycross tyre, which boasts three times the durability with excellent racing performance, reducing both abrasion and waste by almost 70 percent.
Thirdly, the PanteraRX6 engines will be upgraded to reduce additional CO2 and particulate emissions by 90 percent with a non-fossil fuel.
Ecology was always a TitansRX goal
„There’s a way to do REAL-E, or honest ecology, without destroying the racing we love,“ explained TitansRX CEO Max Pucher, who is pleased that his long-term plans are now becoming reality. „I drive for example a plug-in hybrid privately because it reduces fuel consumption and emissions by 75 percent. These kinds of honest improvements we also want to implement in our racing series.“
„At the beginning of the PanteraRX6 development, we also analysed battery and hybrid solutions. The pure electric version we set aside very quickly, since the batteries have an extremely bad cost to weight ratio and there are complex safety issues,“ he added. „In contrast, we have developed a full hybrid version and all vehicles could be upgraded at any time. However, the complex cooling worsens the overall power to weight ratio and each vehicle would cost €100,000 more. This conflicts with making rallycross more affordable.“
New engines, fuels, and catalytic converters
The series boss asked the series partners to develop a non-fossil fuel and a corresponding engine. The new racing fuel, which was developed in collaboration with Pipo Moteurs and fuel suppliers, utilises mostly non-fossil and renewable sources. It complies with all FIA safety guidelines and is currently accepted only for the TitansRX series.
The new fuel reduces fossil CO2 and particulate emissions by 90 percent, while providing the engines with more power and better cooling. In addition, the PanteraRX6 race cars receive new, highly efficient catalytic converters. The TitansRX REAL-E initiative thus ensures a better performance to CO2 ratio than current electric engine series.
The production of short-life batteries have a high CO2 penalty, as well as thermal loss during rapid charging. Plus, the transport of the generators to the race tracks reduces the potential ecological benefits of electric drivetrains.
Final tests were successful
After the Austrian TitansRX event at the MJP Arena Fuglau, extensive test drives were completed and Pucher was satisfied with the results of the long development
„I am pleased that all our expectations have been met and we can therefore announce the initiative for 2020,“ Pucher said. „We can combine combustion engine racing with honest ecology.“
Reinhold Sampl, a driver int he TitansRX series and REAL-E initiative spokesman, is proud of the new development
„Max Pucher is a lateral thinker who pursues ecology on the basis of moral principles and not because of scientific speculation, political motivation or e-mobility sponsors,“ he said.
Because ecology is about a lot more than CO2, TitansRX has also pushed for improvements in other areas. Hoosier Tire specified a Rallycross tire has a usability which is three times longer. As a result, only one set of tires is used per race, yet all drivers are enthusiastic about its driving performance and fun factor.
Even after the race, the tires are still usable for training and testing before being disposed of by the series‘ recycling partners.
Ari Vatanen, TitansRX Ambassador, is also fully committed to the REAL-E initiative.
„It has been very satisfying to bring my experience from WRC where manufacturers have been in technological competition to TitansRX,“ he said. „Electric series find it difficult to deliver either innovation or environmental benefits due to the restrictive safety regulations. At TitansRX ecology is real and more than a lip service.“
It’s awsome to see that we will have in trois rivieres GP3R a new serie TITAN RX who have ecologie in mind
and a serie with car that are built equal so i am looking forward to see it this summer.