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Concerns over energy security and global warming are beginning to be a serious issue for society and are also starting to drive customer purchasing decisions across many areas. Against this background there is an increasing call for motor sport to improve its environmental image, despite the fact that the global energy consumption and CO2 emissions attributable to motor sport are a very low proportion of the total. The real issue for motor sport in the face of the wider societal concerns is that, if it is truly at the cutting edge of relevant automotive engineering, it should be configured and managed in such a way as to drive technology for the betterment of mankind. The status quo is, it is contended, increasingly seen to be blatantly energy-profligate in the eyes of many people and this issue must be resolved if motor sport is to demonstrate the wider benefits of the technology developed by the huge financial investments committed to competing at the highest level.

Rising fuel prices and changes to CO2 and fuel economy legislation have prompted an interest in the electrification of vehicles since this can significantly improve vehicle tailpipe CO2 emissions over homologation test cycles. To this end plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and range extended electric vehicles (REEVs) have been introduced to the market. The operation of the engines in these vehicles differs from conventional vehicles in several key ways. This study was conducted to better understand how the engine design and control strategy of these vehicles affects the temperature and operating regimes experienced by engine crankcase lubricants. A Toyota Prius Plug-in PHEV and GM Volt REEV were tested on a chassis dynamometer over several legislated and pseudo ‘real world’ drive cycles to determine the operating strategy and behaviour of the powertrain. The lubricant and coolant temperatures were monitored, together with other key control parameters.