On The Cover

Garrett 2022 Le Mans Victors

Another big result at the world’s most prestigious enduro race marks over two decades of consecutive Garrett-supported teams on the top step of the podium.

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s Garrett-boosted #8 GR010 Hybrid Hypercar piloted by Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa passed the chequered flag for a first-place finish at Le Mans 2022, marking the fifth straight year of the team’s dominance at the world’s most famous endurance race. The win also marks 23 consecutive years of Garrett-boosted Le Mans winners.

Coming in second place was TOYOTA TGAZOO Racing’s #7 car, also turbocharged by Garrett, driven by Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and José María López. The #7 and #8 cars are powered by Toyota’s 3.5L gasoline twin-turbo V6 hybrid powertrain, making 670hp (500 kW) per the LMH class.

According to 24 Hours of Le Mans, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing has now surpassed Ford and Alfa Romeo and has become the fourth manufacturer to secure at least five consecutive victories after Ferrari, Porsche and Audi. Driver Sébastien Buemi has joined Yannick Dalmas, Olivier Gendebien and Henri Pescarolo among four-time winners.

And coming in 3rd and 4th place, bringing Garrett-boosted teams to a full podium lockout, was team Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus (SCG). Drivers Ryan Briscoe, Richard Westbrook and Franck Mailleux in the Pipo-engined #709 car, and drivers Olivier Pla, Romain Dumas, Pipo Derani in the Pipo-engined #708 car finished 3rd and 4th place respectively.

The winning cars feature twin Garrett TR turbos with advanced ball-bearing technology, boosting engine performance and providing the acceleration needed to secure the team’s victory. The turbo system was designed from the ground-up to withstand the unique operating environment created by such a gruelling 24-hour race. Garrett Motorsport engineers in Torrance, U.S. and Brno, Czech Republic, directly support the Le Mans racing teams.

For more than two decades, Garrett has supported every winning team at Le Mans with industry-leading technology and engineering expertise, continually evolving the strategy and enhancing products to meet ever-rising challenges that drivers face in this endurance event.

To read more about the race standings and to see photos from the event, visit Le Mans’ official site.

GARRETT MOTION WINS 2021 AUTOMOTIVE NEWS PACE AWARD FOR INDUSTRY-FIRST ELECTRIC TURBO
The annual PACE (Premier Automotive Suppliers’ Contribution to Excellence) Awards recognize superior innovation, technological advancement, and business performance among automotive suppliers. The award winners were selected by an independent panel of judges and honoured at a virtual ceremony on September 30, 2021.

“We are thrilled to be recognized as an Automotive News PACE Awards winner for our innovative E-Turbo,” said Olivier Rabiller, Garrett President and Chief Executive Officer. “This prestigious PACE Award is our first in electrification and fourth overall in the past 10 years and is a testament of Garrett expertise to develop industry-first and highly differentiated technologies. Garrett’s E-Turbo draws upon our in-house advanced capabilities in high-speed motor, high-power density motor, high current and switching frequency inverter and motor control software. Our world-class engineers successfully overcame the many challenges in thermal management, energy recovery, compact packaging and highvolume and low-cost design to develop this breakthrough E-Turbo.

“Garrett is well positioned to support the future of electrification including hybrids, fuel cell and any other applications requiring a new approach to problem solving the most pressing needs of the industry.”

Garrett’s E-Turbo utilizes a high-speed electric motor positioned on the turbo shaft to spool the compressor more rapidly and eliminate lag, dramatically improving transient engine performance and lowend engine torque. The new technology provides more power and faster response while further enabling engine efficiency.

Additionally, the E-Turbo can recuperate otherwise wasted energy as an electrical generator to power the hybrid motor directly or recharge the battery in certain driving situations, allowing automakers greater flexibility in the design of hybrid powertrains.

Craig Balis, Garrett Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, stated, “The utilization of our 48-volt or 400-volt hardware on electrified hybrid powertrains, the fastest growing segment in the global auto industry, is an effectivesolution for OEM to address strict environmental standards and set new benchmarks in vehicle performance. By integrating our internally developed highspeed electric motor running at more than 200,000rpm only inches away from exhaust temperatures exceeding 1,000°C, we are able to deliver electrically assisted boosting under extreme conditions while providing energy recuperation to the vehicle’s electrical system.”

As previously announced, Garrett plans to begin serial production of its E-Turbo on a new state-of-the-art, fully dedicated and automated production line beginning in the fourth quarter of 2021. The technology is expected to be introduced next year for the first time at scale in Mercedes- AMG premium hybrid vehicles. Garrett is engaged in multiple other electrification projects with customers worldwide for both passenger and commercial vehicles.

Send this to a friend