Toyota has released a brand new set of images with its 420bhp Yaris Hybrid-R blasting around the 4.3-mile Spa-Francorchamps circuit.
The Hybrid-R is powered by a 300bhp turbocharged 1.6-litre engine powering the front wheels combined with two 60bhp electric motors driving each of the rear wheels.
A third 60bhp electric motor is situated between the engine and the car’s six-speed sequential transmission, operating as a generator in two specific cases – to recover energy during braking and to directly power the rear electric motors when accelerating.
The third electric engine also behaves like an advanced traction control system, redirecting the torque supplied to the rear wheels to optimise the Hybrid-R’s handling.
The batteries in the Hybrid-R work in a similar way to the nickel-metal hydride units used in the standard Yaris Hybrid, except for its use of a supercapacitor for storing and releasing energy more quickly. The supercapacitor was derived from the system used in the TS030 Hybrid Le Mans car and is perfectly suited to providing short ‘bursts’ of power on the track.
Otherwise it’s ‘just’ a Yaris, albeit with a whopping 420bhp propelling it forwards quicker than a Porsche 911..
Written By
Try These Next
Stories we think you'll enjoy
BTCC, Snetterton: Transmission’s Top 20
The BTCC's third racing weekend of the year took us to Snetterton, which not only boasts the longest circuit on the calendar...