DTM innovation taxi makes technological progress tangible

DTM champion Mike Rockenfeller explains the Steer-by-Wire steering system in the video and takes spectacular laps in the innovation taxi.

The DTM innovation taxi is an approved GT2 racing car: the Audi R8 LMS GT2. It is in action at every DTM race weekend in 2024 and is driven by well-known racing drivers like Markus Winkelhock and Mike Rockenfeller. Rockenfeller won the driver’s title in the touring car series with the Schaeffler Audi in 2013. His other successes include winning the 24 hours of Le Mans in 2010.

It isn’t only the racing drivers who have the opportunity to experience fascinating new technologies in action first hand. The DTM innovation taxi is also taking over the role of DTM race taxi, meaning it provides thrilling driving experiences for its drivers and guests, while also making technological progress tangible. It also meets the highest safety requirements.

One of these developments, which benefit both motorsport and production vehicles, was tested by Markus Winkelhock at the Hockenheimring in 2023: the individually configurable steering angle of a car. While the force feedback unit in the steer-by-wire system ensures that the steering reports back the desired counterforce, depending on the driver, the steering ratio can also be directly influenced via the actuator – and on an entirely individual basis, even during the journey.

The effect is impressive. Markus Winkelhock demonstrated this in the hairpin at the Hockenheimring. Here, drivers must turn nearly 180 degrees. Usually, this requires the drivers to rotate the steering wheel about 180 degrees. However, a higher steering ratio means a 90-degree rotation is sufficient to negotiate this point on the track without any issues. It is no longer necessary to change one’s grip.

Easier parking and manoeuvring

While this kind of tight corner crops up relatively rarely at racetracks, they appear far more regularly in rallying. A Schaeffler test on ice and snow showed: with an individually configurable steering angle, rally drivers can also take particularly tight corners at top speed, when it would otherwise be necessary to apply the handbrake. The result is faster times and less strain for the drivers.

The Schaeffler system also has particularly big benefits in conventional road traffic. Particularly in situations that many road users view as being especially laborious. For example, a car with a configurable steering angle makes it possible to manoeuvre and park with far less steering effort. This makes life easier and more comfortable for drivers.

Steer-by-wire, steering without a mechanical steering column, is one of the key technologies on the road to autonomous driving and has many other advantages.

The DTM innovation taxi also gives Schaeffler the ideal vehicle, with which to demonstrate the performance and sustainability of alternative fuels. As of the DTM race weekend at the Lausitzring in the 2023 season, the Audi R8 LMS GT2 is powered by synthetic fuels, also known as e-fuels.

E-fuels are synthetic fuels produced using renewable energy, which ideally comes from regenerative energy sources. The advantage being that they facilitate carbon neutral running of combustion engines. And these sustainable fuels benefit both new cars and every car with a combustion engine currently being utilised. This is approximately 1.3 billion vehicles.

Currently, Schaeffler predicts that 40 percent of vehicles around the world will be fully electrified by 2030. A further 40 percent will have a partially electric propulsion system and continue to use highly efficient internal combustion engines developed in line with the latest emissions standards. The remaining 20 percent will use a pure highly efficient internal combustion engine. It is for this reason that Schaeffler is adopting an approach based on a wide range of drive systems and offers the right solution for every application. These include partial and fully electrified drive systems as well as fuel cell systems and the evolution of efficient internal combustion engines, which thanks to e-fuels remain an important aspect of more environmentally friendly mobility.