DTM innovation taxi makes technological progress tangible
Technological progress is not just one of the driving forces of motorsport – it is also what made Schaeffler a pioneer in the area of mobility. With the DTM innovation taxi, the 2023 season of the DTM now sees Schaeffler bring a race taxi that showcases technological advances at racing speed to the track.
Title holder to drive DTM innovation taxi Audi R8 LMS GT2
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 a homologated GT2 racing car: the Audi R8 LMS GT2. It will be in action at every DTM race weekend in 2023 and will be driven by well-known racing drivers like Mike Rockenfeller. He 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 Mike Rockenfeller who will 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 will be providing thrilling driving experiences while also making technological progress tangible. It also meets the highest safety requirements.
Motorsport as a catalyst for new technologies
As the carrier vehicle for innovative technical ideas and their implementation, the new DTM Race Taxi is the epitome of what Schaeffler embodies as the innovation partner of the DTM. It focuses Schaeffler’s technological expertise on a single vehicle and shows which innovations may soon be making their way onto the racetrack and the road.
The Audi R8 GT2 taxi will be equipped with steer-by-wire technology for the start of the season. Motorsport is an ideal training platform for further developing Space Drive, the steer-by-wire technology from Schaeffler. The data collected during race weekends will be evaluated alongside the feedback from the drivers. This will provide important insights for the use and further development of the Space Drive system in series production.
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 is a look at potential developments in the automotive future, presented at racing speed. Which is why the plan is to deploy even more Schaeffler innovations in the DTM innovation taxi over the course of the season.
Schaeffler opts for e-fuels in the DTM innovation taxi
As of the DTM race weekend at the Lausitzring, the Audi R8 LMS GT2 will be powered by e-fuels. E-fuels are synthetic fuels produced using renewable energy. The advantage being that they facilitate carbon neutral running of internal combustion engines. And these sustainable fuels benefit both new cars and every car with an internal combustion engine currently being utilised. Which 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.
