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45 Porsche's 919 This marked Porsche' return to the top category at Le Mans after a lengthy absence, and it was looking for a fairy tale ending. Perhaps the most radical hybrid, the 919 featured a turbocharged, direct injection, 2.0-liter V4 gasoline nestled close to the cockpit. Capable of transmitting 493 hp to the rear wheels, it is supplemented by a 247-hp MGU on the front axle. This meant that, like Audi, Porsche has just one KERS unit. Its thermal recovery system, however, is unique. Instead of a wastegate, the turbocharger shunts excess exhaust gas to an extra turbine that drives an electric motor. Thus, the 919 is able to recuperate energy under acceleration. The power created by this and the KERS unit is funneled to a water-cooled lithium-ion battery pack from A123 Systems. Though capable of running in the 8 MJ class, Porsche decided the loss of nearly one liter of fuel per lap did not make up for the increase in power. By running at 6 MJ, it was allocated 4.72 liters of gasoline per lap. Unfortunately, the lead car was out by 1 pm on Sunday with a damaged powertrain. The second car followed 30 minutes later with a broken gearbox, and was classifed 11th, 31 laps down from the leader. Porsche is, however, planning production powertrains built around the V4's 500 cc per cylinder, and hybrid systems like that used on the 919. Toyota TS040 You'd think the maker of the Prius would have hybrid technology fgured out and, judging from the Toyota team taking pole position for the second year in a row while using 30% less fuel and leading the early hours of the race, p Toyota's naturally aspirated V8 was designed for maximum fuel efciency at speed. With no turbo, it traded thermal recovery for two KERS units, and dumps power into an ultracapacitor storage system. it looked like it did. Unfortunately, the good times didn't last. Toyota chose a 513-hp, naturally aspirated 3.7-liter V8 coupled to KERS units at each end of the car. An Aisin AW MGU unit is used up front, while Denso provides the rear hybrid system. It is housed within the transmission case. Together they are capable of adding as much as 474 hp. This gives the TS040 a total of 987 horsepower. Unlike the Audi and Porsche storage units, Toyota chose a Nisshinbo-supplied ultracapacitor system. A Denso inverter is located atop the ultracapacitor storage unit, and sits next to the driver where it controls the fow of electricity. Toyota felt it was the best answer to harvesting the massive energy produced almost instantaneously under braking. It also chose to improve KERS efciency rather than add a thermal energy unit that might adversely afect engine heat efciency and, therefore, fuel economy. Despite leading convincingly early on, problems dropped the lead TS040 to third, fve laps down, at the end. However, rumors abound that the lessons learned from the TS040 are being applied to an all-wheel drive version of the next generation Prius platform.