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British motorsport engineering firm Perrinn has launched its Project 424, a campaign based around the production of an electric and autonomous LMP1 car that it hopes will claim new lap records around some of the world’s most prestigious race tracks, as well as eventually going on to win the Le Mans 24h.
The 1100 kg racer will be driven by all four wheels, with 250 kW at the front wheels, complementing the 400 kW being sent through the rear wheels. The Project 424 will use a 54 kWh battery, which weighs 400 kg, that will be positioned in a central rear position within the bespoke LMP1 chassis.
The upcoming car will also have some autonomous functionality, allowing the car to drive on the race trajectory. The system combines road car solutions with “pre-recorded race driver inputs” so the car performs safely yet still at a high level. In order for the system to work, the driver completes a lap before activating the autonomous mode. The car then takes over and replicates the recorded lap. The system then keeps the car on the driver’s initial trajectory, while compensating for both tyre degradation and changing conditions.
Another thing that sets the development of the car apart is that Perrinn is doing it live on its website. In order to create a new experience for its followers.
“We like doing things differently so we’ve decided to take communication a step further: every discussion between designers, developers, actors of the project are published live on our web platform. We believe that public communication and transparency is the logical way to develop global collaboration. We like to give access to our data and information,” the company explained.
Perrinn said the project is progressing well, and the team is currently working to find investment and sign partnerships with technology companies. All being well, if the right investment is forthcoming, the team hopes to be setting new track records in as little as two years.
