OSCar eO in Dakar eO. Future MAGAZINE The family Drive eO / 2012 Drive EO / 2 CONTENT OSCar’s eO timeline / 02 The first one / 06 eO. Future / 10 OSCar eO in Dakar / 12 The family / 20 timeline OSCar’s eO 1992 the company OSC is founded 2001 the idea to participate in international rally raids and The Dakar was born Spring 2002 the idea of an OSCar draws its first breath August 2002 Rally Raid Team Latvia and OSC debut in Master Rallye September 30th 2002 the building of OSCar starts May 29th 2003 first OSCar launched August 2003 OSCar debut in Rally d’Orient October 2003 OSCar debut in UAE Desert Challenge January 2004 OSCar debut in The Dakar Rally January 2005 OSCar participates in The Dakar Rally August 2005 OSCar debut & win in Hungarian Baja October 2005 OSCar debut in Baja Anta Da Serra 500 Portalegre November 2005 OSCar debut in 24-hour off-road endurance race in Portugal P hoto January 2006 M BY A OSCar participates in The IN Dakar Rally DRU June 2006 OSCar debut in Baja de France January 2007 OSCar O3 debut in The Dakar Rally January 2008 OSCar O3 in The Dakar Rally (canceled) June 2008 OSCar O3 debut in The Trans- Oriental Rally (St Petersburg- Astana-Beijing) January 2009 OSCar O3 in The Dakar Rally September 2009 OSCar 24H built for 24-hour off-road endurance races in France and Portugal September 2009 OSCar O3 debut in 1st Silk Way Rally Summer 2010 the idea to build OSCar eO was born October 2010 start of the OSCar eO project April 5th 2011 building of OSCar eO starts August 2011 electric test car Nissan Navara launched November 15th 2011 OSCar eO launched November 16th 2011 president of FIA, Jean Todt, visits OSCar eO January 2012 OSCar eO debut in The Dakar Rally (O3 also participates) January 15th 2012 OSCar eO – the world’s first electric off-road rally car, successfully finishes The Dakar Rally 2012 Photo BY GatIS ROZENFELDS, F64 Latvia’s OSCar eO becomes the electric-drive vehicle to complete the Dakar Rally To be the first is exciting. To might be possible to realize achieve the unachievable it. “In October, I began to is even more exciting. That engineer an electric sports is what stimulated the car and in April of the designers at eO, a Latvian following year we began its company, to create the OSCar construction, even though eO – the world’s first electric the design project wasn’t rally-raid vehicle and the really completed. The time first to complete the Dakar frame from the idea to Rally in 2012. This was not an the Dakar Rally was very easy task, but the experience short and that’s why, once gained during the designing, the basics were designed, building and racing of the the construction of a new alternative energy-powered vehicle began immediately. vehicle has allowed eO and Designing and inventing its sister company OSC to lasted almost up until the last be proud of something that moment,” remembers Dambis. many others have not yet achieved – in producing a Even though visually the viable electric race car, eO has OSCar eO is similar to laid the foundations for a new OSCar O3 rally raid vehicle, future in motor sports. its construction is radically different, because the O3, The idea was born in the which had previously been summer of 2010 and didn’t tested at a Dakar Rally, could let the OSCar project initiator, not be converted to electric Andris Dambis, sleep properly drive. The OSCar eO building for over two months, until process could be compared he finally understood that it to a big LEGO construction Drive eO / 6 Drive eO / 7 game – its general parameters the lack of various data made “During the race we noted and issues were clarified. The actual and desired result were the builders choose the safest recorded all of the data that no OSCar eO was mostly tested on clear to the author, but option – one electric motor one had previously registered. a rolling road dynamometer component and supplier with a transmission. That is an advantage, and only driven outside of the selection continued right up because nobody else has this workshop for a week. After to the project’s completion. “If one wants to drive use information yet.” that, the engineering team felt Therefore, some parts were an electric motor without a sufficiently confident about allocated the maximum gearbox, the generated torque “In order to have the OSCar eO the vehicle’s ability to operate possible space in the vehicle, needs to be known precisely. delivered to the Dakar Rally on effectively,” says Dambis. assuming that the largest of In theory, it is possible to time, and considering the tight Rules of the Dakar rally require vehicles to have an 800 kilometre autonomy. The commercially available battery technologies make it a virtually impossible task for an electric-drive car. For that reason, OSCar eO was fitted with a range extender unit, comprising of an electric generator and an internal combustion engine as the prime mover. When asked about the selection of the engine, Andris Dambis answers confidently. According to his calculations, a diesel engine could not be built in, because there was insufficient space. The other consideration Every shipment felt like Christmas. Every was that of wanting to be the first in the Dakar Rally’s parcel was immediately opened and some of history to complete the race in an electric drive vehicle. the items were tried on the OSCar eO while Therefore, the engineering team decided not to it was still under construction experiment with alternative fuels, but to make use of a the available components calculate everything. However, schedule we had to complete well-tested gasoline internal might have to be installed. it is impossible for the it, very little time was left for combustion engine. In In total, the construction of calculations to take all of the road testing. That is why we addition, the engine was the vehicle took 7 months track conditions into account. made a test vehicle based on selected with a substantial and 10 days. One cannot say I know only now, after the the Nissan Navara. The same power and resource reserve that there were no hidden Dakar Rally, what torque and batteries, motor and inverters to avoid overloading it during surprises during the project. what gear ratio is needed for as in the OSCar eO were built the race. In the beginning, two electric this rally,” discloses Dambis. The into the test vehicle. All the motors were going to be used, grueling 8400-km race was important things were tried The geography of the but the limited experience and a testing range and laboratory. out on the test car and the key OSCar eO’s components is Drive eO / 8 extensive, in the sense that The wind tunnel and the that would allow the OSCar the suppliers come from all eO battery to be charged around the world. During OSCar O5 between the rally stages the project, the eO workshop at bivouacs. However, this In 2009, OSC began developing the OSCar O5 on the base of the received many shipments, existing OSCar O3 model, with the assistance of a wind tunnel. system was never used, not only from European The OSCar body was streamlined and gained a new shape, because a balance between countries, but also from the reducing its aerodynamic drag. Unfortunately, this project has energy consumption and USA, Japan and of course, been on hold for the past three years, because FIA has since its generation was attained China, which was represented changed the technical regulations that stipulate the dimensions during the race. Andris of race cars. OSCar founder Andris Dambis believes that if by Winston Battery’s Li-ion the O5 was built according to the new regulations, then the Dambis, who is not only batteries. Every shipment felt vehicle would not look good. That is the main reason why the the chief engineer of the like Christmas. Every parcel development of the O5 has been suspended. However, Dambis OSCar eO, but also the co- was immediately opened hopes that work on the car will resume some day and that this pilot, handled the energy and some of the items were vehicle will live to see the race track. In the meantime, a model management himself, of the OSCar O5’s body shape has been built on a 1:5 scale – tried on the OSCar eO while it a fact that until now had been kept a complete secret. because this task could was still under construction. not be entrusted to any Of course, the engineers and computer program while in mechanics had no surprises Technical specifications of the race. in this process, because only the best components the OSCar eO What’s next? For starters, available on the market AC PM drive motor with two power inverters eO is actively continuing to were ordered after careful Torque: 440 Nm nominal / 800 Nm peak improve its electric sports selection. Real-life models Power: 150 kW nominal / 335 kW peak car and will be present in were also prepared for some Recuperative braking other rally-raids, such as the of them, so that their size Winston Battery Li-ion battery pack (160 cells) with BMS Silk Way Rally in July of 2012. Nominal voltage: 512 VDC and the space they take up Nominal capacity: 100 Ah However, the OSCar eO is in the vehicle wouldn’t be Total energy: 51.2 kWh only the visible part of the verified only in a computer AC PM generator with one power inverter iceberg in the company’s simulation.