Hybrid World Rally Cars Are On The Way

The FIA World Rally Championship will introduce hybrid cars from the 2022 season onwards

17 Jun 2019

Having been a big part of the World Endurance Championship and F1 for a few years now, hybrid systems are coming to the top flight of rallying.

Yep, the World Rally Championship will soon be populated by electrified cars, the FIA World Motor Sport Council has confirmed. A hybrid system “comprised of common components and software” will be introduced from the 2022 season, with greater technical freedom allowing teams to tinker given from 2025.

The idea is that the new WRC cars will be able to quietly trundle through cities on electric power alone, with the hybrid system providing an extra boost on the special stages. Interestingly, the 2022-onwards machines won’t have to be built on a production-spec platform, with manufacturers given the option of making a DTM/Nascar-like silhouette racer around a tubular space frame.

With F1 having first dabbled with KERS way back in 2009, the WRC is arguably a little late to the hybrid party. The FIA World Rallycross, meanwhile, is going a step further by going fully electric in 2021, a year before the WRC hybrid cars arrive.

Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.

Comments

[F]

Better than the sport being shut down for noise complaints or emissions laws in my opinion

-gets faster cars that comply with noise regulations and emissions.
-still complains….

I hope electric safety comes along way in the next few years. Electric fires are not good. However, I can’t imagine how fast WRC will be with electric torque

It’ll probably be sandwiched between the engine and transmission to fill the gap when the turbo isn’t on boost

Is there a hybrid out there not using a CVT transmission? Does that mean WRC cars with CVTs? That’ll look interesting lol

That’s it boys, hybrid cars are the future, wether you like it or not. I really like this move, the contra point of “glorious ICE noise” I don’t really understand. WRC and WRX cars sound like vaccum cleaners anyway, not really pleasant if you ask me.

They also should make them autonomous. Autonomous hybrid things that look nothing like production cars, sounds good, doesn’t it?

I’m surprised it hasn’t been introduced sooner to be honest. More torque and sooner! Can only be a good thing surely?

No just no

“the 2022-onwards machines won’t have to be built on a production-spec platform, with manufacturers given the option of making a DTM/Nascar-like silhouette racer around a tubular space frame.”

So from 2022 we will have hybrid things that have pretty much nothing in common with the production cars? RIP WRC.

RIP

Press F to pay respects

Basically since 1997 WRC cars have very little in common with production cars already. They are aero festooned fibreglass, kevlar and carbonfibre bodied, with non production alloys, non production gearboxes, non production drivelines, non production exhaust, spec intake and turbo with control inlet geometry, custom tubular internal mounts, non produciton suspension and the list goes on.

The only things they have in common with production variants are: 1 The engine block must be production based, and 2 The car’s chassis, however due to the extensive roll cage fitted this becomes almost irrelevant.

It’s actually up to the manufacturers. They too prefer to have the car have enough resemblance to the production car to boost sales and brand reputation. I think the overall shape and size wouldn’t change, just the rule allows for more lightweight panels and crazier aerodynamic, which isn’t bad.