The partially-electric powered C4 WRC is fitted with the same petrol engine as before, only added with a 990-cell Ion Lithium battery and a 125 kW electric motor. The latter is mostly used to provide an additional power boost resulted from the energy recovered under braking (a similar system to the already-known Kinetic Energy Recovery System used in Formula 1).
The car was previously launched at the Paris Motor Show in October 2008 and was designed to compete inside the WRC in case the FIA decides to switch to hybrid technology in the near future. In order to save fuel, the car is to be switched to electric mode on the road sections between the WRC stages. Sordo tested the hybrid C4 on both modes, while also admitting the boost function makes for some exciting racing.
“In electric mode, you can drive through villages without making the slightest noise, which is very unusual for a competition car. It's better for the environment and also more comfortable for the crew, making road sections more pleasant,” said Sordo.
“On the stages, I would say that the overall behavior of the car is slightly different to that of the C4 WRC, with more weight to the rear. The boost function means that we can choose when to benefit from extra torque under acceleration. When it (boost function) comes in, the effect is impressive,” added the Spaniard.
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