The future of world touring car championship is looking brighter than ever as DTM (Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters or German Touring Car Masters) promoter, ITR, unveiled their latest conceptual vision in the form of a 1,000hp electric race car that will be powered either by battery or hydrogen fuel cell technology.
As Europe’s top premium touring car series, DTM’s future will start focusing on creating a ‘visionary new electric-drive series’ which hopes to get a lot more manufacturers into the electric touring race car scene. It’ll be quite a spectacle to watch as even the current DTM car are already running high-tech carbon fibre parts, supreme aerodynamics, and the all-powerful 600hp turbocharged engines.
The visionary project of ITR plans to power this electric race car series either using batteries of hydrogen fuel cell technology with plans to include mandatory pit stop using large industrial robots instead of the usual pit stop crew members. These robots will not only swap out the tyres but also able to replace the batteries or hydrogen tank to ‘refuel’ the machines.
The most interesting part of this whole vision is the electric race car itself with the capability to produce 1,000hp. In theory, it’ll allow the car to push beyond 300km/h and since they’re electric, exceeding those speeds will most likely take a very short amount of time thanks to the nature of electric vehicles and their almost instantaneous torque delivery.
According to ITR Chairman, Gerhard Berger, “This is a courageous and innovative concept. You have to look far ahead if you want to shape the future of motorsports and offer racing with alternative drive systems that inspire the fans. It is obvious that manufacturers who want to become involved in motorsport are increasingly focusing on alternative drive concepts.”
“You have to look far ahead if you want to shape the future of the sport. Although hybrid and electric vehicles have established a foothold in the market, I think that a truly new and inspiring concept has been lacking up until now. In addition to millions of motorsport fans worldwide, we’re now talking with a large number of automotive companies and suppliers who would like to become more involved in motorsport. With this project, we want to demonstrate that we’re open to what the future holds and that we have something new to offer the world’s manufacturers,” added Berger.
