The 908HY can be powered in one of three ways:
Electric mode only (e.g. in the pit-lane)
Internal combustion engine only a combination of the two in the course of a lap of Le Mans, for example, the system will recuperate energy for between 20 and 30 seconds. This energy reserve can be used for:
Either delivering extra power thanks to an additional boost of 60 kW (80 bhp) for approximately 20 seconds per lap, either automatically when re-accelerating or when the driver chooses to make use of it (`push to pass')or to reduce fuel consumption for the equivalent level of performance thanks to the mechanical energy recovered (between three and five per cent).
Michel Barge (Peugeot Sport, Director): "This hybrid 908 HDi FAP is in perfect keeping with the overall mission of our endurance racing programme which covers not only the challenge of competing, of course, but also the fact that as a car manufacturer we can use motor sport as a research and development tool for the Peugeot brand as a whole. After innovating through the use of our HDi FAP technology in competition, running a hybrid car in endurance racing would give Peugeot a chance to gain extremely valuable experience that would benefit the development of production cars. Whether we use this technology or not in 2009 will obviously depend on the details of the new regulations published by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest."
Le Mans Series - Silverstone 1000 KM
(12-13-14 September 2008)
At the end of a closely fought season, the results of Team Peugeot Total provide abundant proof of the intrinsic competitiveness of the car, the drivers and the team itself. Peugeot scored four wins from the five LMS races including a one-two finish, two cars on the podium at Le Mans, with three cars finishing the race, and every pole position this season, including the Le Mans 24 Hours.
Following a hard-fought battle with the competition yesterday at Silverstone, the N7 908 HDi FAP crashed out of the race through contact with a slower competitor. The second 908 HDi FAP, with Stphane Sarrazin at the wheel, collided with the N1 Audi after having overtaken it. The car returned to the pits for repairs to a broken wishbone, hydraulic line, water radiator and rear crash box. Sarrazin restarted 25 minutes later, and went on a charge in order to climb back through the field. He broke the fastest race lap six times, finally leaving it at 1m 31.166s. It once again demonstrated the high level of performance of the team's engineers and technicians, as well as underlining the mechanical quality of the car.
2008 was a second extremely hard-fought season against a competitor which has been competing in endurance racing for a decade. Team Peugeot Total claimed major wins throughout an exciting championship, which was characterised by the unstinting competition between two major players in world motorsport.
In 2009, Peugeot's motivation to win in the Le Mans Series and at the Le Mans 24 Hours will be as great as ever.
Furthermore, Peugeot has once again proven that it is at the cutting edge of automotive technology, as the first manufacturer to use top-level motorsport to introduce and develop a hybrid competition car: the 908 HY.