[WEC] LMP Future Regulations (was Le Mans EVO rules - now hypercar rules)

[gwyllion]

RCE reported that the target efficiency in the 2014 rules is 220 g/kWh for petrol engines and 195 g/kWh for diesel engines (see post #2438). These numbers are confirmed in Appendix B of draft 4 on mulsannescorner.com

These values are defined, based on an hypothesis of efficiency of 195 g/kwh for diesel engine, and 220 g/kwh for gasoline engines.
These values depend on the evolution of the technologies and precise chemical characteristics of fuels used in 2014.
For this reason they are defined within a range of 5g/kwh, with 2012 LMP fuel reference.
The precise values will be frozen in September 2012, after further fuel tests have been performed on experimental test engines (agreed with LMP manufacturers).

The table in Appendix B also provides numbers for the maximum fuel flow. With the target efficiency, we can easily compute the maximum power output of the different drive train configurations:

• petrol, 0 MJ ERS: 93.5 kg/h / 0.22 kg/kWh = 425 kW
• petrol, 2 MJ ERS: 91.5 kg/h / 0.22 kg/kWh = 416 kW
• petrol, 4 MJ ERS: 88.5 kg/h / 0.22 kg/kWh = 402 kW
• petrol, 6 MJ ERS: 86.0 kg/h / 0.22 kg/kWh = 391 kW
• petrol, 8 MJ ERS: 85.0 kg/h / 0.22 kg/kWh = 386 kW
• diesel, 0 MJ ERS: 83 kg/h / 0.195 kg/kWh = 426 kW
• diesel, 2 MJ ERS: 82 kg/h / 0.195 kg/kWh = 421 kW
• diesel, 4 MJ ERS: 80 kg/h / 0.195 kg/kWh = 410 kW
• diesel, 6 MJ ERS: 77 kg/h / 0.195 kg/kWh = 395 kW
• diesel, 8 MJ ERS: 75 kg/h / 0.195 kg/kWh = 385 kW

425 kW = 570 hp (imperial) = 578 hp (metric) is similar to what the LMP1 engines have now.

However, in 2014 they will have to produce that power with less fuel. So if engine manufacturers can not reach the efficiency targets, which are very ambitious, then the cars will have a bit less power.