Red Bull Ford Powertrains has leveraged the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio of industry software from Siemens Digital Industries Software to develop the next-generation hybrid ICE/electric driven power unit for the 2026 Formula 1 racing season.
For the 2026 season, Red Bull Ford Powertrains will build power units for both the Oracle Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Alpha Tauri F1 Teams, and will be one of only six manufacturers supplying power units for the F1 series. From the announcement of its intent in 2021, Red Bull Ford Powertrains has set an ambitious goal of developing 2026-specification sustainable high-speed power units from the ground up, while meeting new specifications from F1. Like any startup, Red Bull Ford Powertrains is breaking new ground with every component design, especially given the lack of historical data in the extremely secretive world of powertrain development.
Ben Hodgkinson, technical director at Red Bull Powertrains said: “Siemens Xcelerator is the digital backbone of our design and manufacturing journey, enabling us to engineer hundreds of rapid design evolutions concurrently across a large newly-formed team. This ensures that all designers have visibility and knowledge of what their colleagues are working on.
“It is especially challenging as we don’t have the luxury of historical data. Every component, down to the nuts and bolts of the engine, has to be modelled from scratch. This means the design quality and ease of use from Siemens NX, combined with the collaboration and lifecycle management usingTeamcenter, is a critical factor for success.”
In addition to Siemens NX software for product engineering and Teamcenter software for product lifecycle management, the Red Bull Ford Powertrains team leverages the simulation and test capabilities of Siemens Simcenter STAR-CCM+ software to assist with design and validation across the project.
“The motorsport industry is aggressively pursuing a cleaner, more sustainable future that requires radical reinvention of how teams and suppliers approach all aspects of their development activities. By leveraging the benefits of digital transformation, delivered through the use of Siemens Xcelerator, we are able to help motorsport partners in the field with their discovery, invention and delivery of new cleaner solutions on the track, where rubber meets the road, in timescales previously thought unattainable,” said Robert Jones, executive vice president of Global Sales And Customer Success for Siemens Digital Industries Software. “We are delighted to play a part in the success of the Red Bull Ford Powertrains team in achieving its goal to bring greater sustainability to motorsport, and to meet the requirements for carbon-free performance, greater use of electric power and energy recovery for the 2026 racing season.”
Advancing high-performance motorsport design Siemens South Africa
IT in Manufacturing
Siemens explains how its simulation software is helping motorsport engineering group ORECA speed up vehicle design and optimise composite structures for its Le Mans hypercar programme.
Read more...The data-driven path to sustainable manufacturing ifm - South Africa
Editor's Choice Sensors & Transducers
Smart automation is closing the gap between operational efficiency and environmental responsibility, and the data to do it is already inside the plant. With ifm’s sensing and digitalisation technologies, manufacturers can turn machine intelligence into measurable sustainability gains.
Read more...The hydrogen economy is moving from concept to industrial reality VEGA Controls SA
Editor's Choice Pressure Measurement & Control
Scaling the hydrogen economy requires safe, efficient and tightly controlled processes across generation, storage, distribution and end use, underpinned by accurate instrumentation for pressure, temperature, level and flow measurement.
Read more...Dynamic control of industrial solar plants and energy storage systems Beckhoff Automation
Editor's Choice IT in Manufacturing
Spanish group, Power Electronics uses Beckhoff embedded PCs and TwinCAT software to achieve switching times of 110 ms across solar and battery storage systems, enabling the delivery of grid support services that command higher energy prices.
Read more...South Africa’s battery manufacturing potential
Editor's Choice Electrical Power & Protection
A feasibility study commissioned by the Localisation Support Fund concludes that South Africa has the technical and commercial foundations to develop a competitive lithium iron phosphate battery manufacturing sector, anchored by growing regional demand and favourable industrial conditions.
Read more...Expanding visibility in mining operations Emerson Automation Solutions
Editor's Choice Sensors & Transducers
Advances in wireless communications, condition monitoring and sensing technologies are helping mining operators extend measurement into previously under-monitored areas, improving equipment reliability, process performance and water stewardship.
Read more...PC-based control in surgery Beckhoff Automation
Editor's Choice PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
Researchers at the University of Basel are using Beckhoff PC-based control technology to develop a miniature laser robot for minimally invasive bone surgery.
Read more...The gender gap in South Africa’s engineering sector
Editor's Choice News
With women making up just 16% of registered engineering professionals in South Africa, AvenirHoldings CEO, Tshidi Mndzebele, is calling on women engineers and graduates to pursue formal professional registration as a key step to unlocking career growth and industry leadership.
Read more...Siemens and HighByte partner to scale industrial AI Siemens South Africa
IT in Manufacturing Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Siemens is expanding its Industrial Edge ecosystem through a partnership with HighByte, enabling customers to connect, contextualise and transform data from operational technology and information technology sources to build AI models and applications at scale.
Read more...3D electrical systems design workflow for electromechanical innovation Siemens South Africa
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking IT in Manufacturing
Siemens has announced new 3D electrical design capabilities within its Capital software, enabling electrical and mechanical engineers to work concurrently in a shared 3D environment to reduce late-stage design changes and accelerate time to market for complex electromechanical products.
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.
printer friendly version