Xtrac showcases motorsport technology to Parliament

The centrepiece of a special display by transmission technology specialist Xtrac at the House of Lords this week was a new gearbox developed for electric vehicles; one of numerous transmission systems developed in response to the growing interest by the automotive sector in electric and hybrid vehicles.

The world-class engineering skills of Xtrac and the design capability of other members of the motorsport industry were presented to Members of Parliament from both the House of Lords and Commons prior to an annual awards ceremony organised by the Motorsport Industry Association (MIA).

“Our parliamentarians were keen to learn about the UK’s multi-billion pound motorsport industry,” said Xtrac development director Cliff Hawkins. Commenting on the industry’s ‘gallery of motorsport excellence’ he added: “The advanced engineering skills demonstrated by the industry and its ability to innovate and do so quickly are just some of the qualities needed to help lead the economy out of recession. Our skill set is transferrable and increasingly sought after by the aerospace, automotive, defence and marine industries as they seek to increase their competitiveness.”

With the increasing focus on the energy efficiency and durability of electric powertrains, Xtrac has applied many of the high precision techniques learnt in motor racing to design transmission systems suitable for electric drives, and most importantly has successfully demonstrated very rapid product design and development cycle times. More usually associated with F1 and the supply of components to other race formulas, Xtrac sees the demand for prototype gearboxes for electric vehicles showing no signs of abatement.

“Lessons learnt in the efficient design and manufacture of components has given Xtrac’s electric vehicle applications a definite advantage of the optimum vehicle package,” said Hawkins. “The space available to house all the batteries and other essential driveline components is at a real premium in electric and hybrid vehicles; essentially requiring the same set of skills as packaging an engine and transmission into a race car. We just happen to be very good at packaging tight spaces.”

“By the end of the year we will be getting close to producing 100 prototype transmissions for hybrid and electric vehicles,” he added. “These are mostly destined for technology evaluation, ultimately for high volume road cars and with all manner of innovative powertrain configurations.”

For parliamentarians with an interest in vehicles with a requirement for robust off road performance such as those used by the defence industry, Xtrac displayed a super heavy duty differential. The unit builds on Xtrac’s legendary record for reliability and performance in the famous Dakar rally raid event. Other components on display included a high precision rack and pinion steering assembly and a gear lever designed as a low cost solution for use with Xtrac’s sequential gearboxes.

The Right Honorable Lord Drayson Minister of State for Innovation who attended the awards ceremony - and recently achieved his lifetime ambition of racing at Le Mans - said that motorsport was a “vitally important industry ... that could help inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers.”

The MIA Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Motorsport Industry was received by Ross Brawn who similarly commented on the industry’s ability to get young people interested in engineering and that its “optimism and determination to get things done characterised the motorsport industry.”

The gallery of motorsport excellence and presentation of the MIA Award was held at the House of Lords on Monday 6 July 2009. The MIA’s summer reception, hosted by MIA president Lord Astor of Hever, is regarded as the most prestigious social gathering on the international motorsport business calendar. The 2009 reception was attended by over 300 guests, including Peers, Ministers of State, Ambassadors, MPs, VIPs, MIA members and leaders from the motorsport industry across the globe.

Further information on Xtrac is available at xtrac.com. Further information on the MIA at the-mia.com.