Alpine, 70 years - Episode 3 – Innovations behind the Alpine bodywork - video Dailymotion

AutoMotions

Following the first two episodes dedicated to history and design, the ‘Alpine 70 Years’ series focuses on the theme of innovation and engineering. Through the testimonies of four experts, this third instalment takes us behind the scenes at the brand's various engineering sites.  Our experts provide insights into the synergy that exists at Alpine between motorsport and road cars. Already present when the brand was founded by Jean Rédélé, this symbiosis is now taking on a new dimension with the development of the Alpine Hypertech entity, which puts racing know-how directly at the service of innovation within Renault Group.

Transcript

00:00Welcome to the National Anthem.

00:30The Marque Alpine is light and sportivity, light in a almost philosophical sense,

00:55which represents what the experience can bring in the pleasure of driving.

01:00The role of the Alpine Car is developing cars of route and innovative technologies that will help ensure their sportivity.

01:10Innovation has always been a key for Jean-Ray Delay.

01:13The beginning, Jean-Ray Delay has been very focused on the organes, on the technologies of Renault

01:20to focus on what was important to maximize the efficiency.

01:25Jean-Ray Delay has mentioned the innovation and the pleasure of driving cars.

01:28And in particular, Jean-Ray Delay has worked a lot with lightness.

01:33Dès l'A106 de 1955, with this Carl Rossery in fibre de verre,

01:38which was an innovation for the time and allowed cars to lighten.

01:42We can say in 1958, the A108, with the chassis poutre, which allowed to increase the rigidity of the car,

01:50while keeping it very light.

01:52And then, on the Berynette, he used these technologies,

01:55he optimized them at the maximum.

01:57And in addition, the car had a very successful aesthetic,

02:00which has assured its competitiveness and success.

02:02The first Alpines were very close to racing cars,

02:09and I think that today, we see that the DNA of the race is present in the products that we put in the street.

02:15It's really important to keep this synergy between the competition,

02:22and the road cars that we make.

02:24These exchanges between Alpine Racing and Alpine Cars,

02:28it's something that is a lot of historical, but that also motivates the teams.

02:32On the development of the Alpine A110 Actual,

02:35we worked thoroughly and made a contribution to Alpine Racing,

02:39using both their means of calculation and simulation for the dimension thermo-mécanics of the engine,

02:46but also their means of physical and the means of metrology.

02:50For the 110 Actual,

02:52our engineers have done a lot of work with the allegement,

02:55and it's done by a carrosserie,

02:57and a structure entirely in aluminum,

02:59assembled by a process of rivetage and collage,

03:03which is a technology reserved for cars,

03:05which is an exception.

03:06An A110,

03:07it makes 200-300 kg of less than its competitors,

03:09and in the same time,

03:10with a very good aspect quality.

03:11I think that the expertise that we have accumulated here,

03:13at Alpine Racing,

03:14it's been a long time that it contributes

03:16to the quality of what we do

03:18and to the products that we can put in the street,

03:20and to the electrification,

03:21that we have,

03:22again,

03:23we have the total control here,

03:24at Alpine Racing,

03:25since we have completely integrated the concept

03:27of the electric traction chain.

03:29I'm in charge of the product at Alpine,

03:34which means to understand the clients

03:37to whom we are addressing,

03:38and to accompany the engineering and design

03:40in this relation to the client's expectations.

03:43The world changes,

03:44the clients also evolve with this world,

03:47and we have new expectations that emerge,

03:50which arise.

03:51There are expectations on the durability of our cars,

03:54in terms of carbonation,

03:55impacts on the environment.

04:00The passage to electric,

04:01it's no longer a question,

04:03it's a necessity.

04:05The two main challenges

04:06when we move from thermals

04:08to electric vehicles,

04:10it's the increase of mass,

04:11which goes against the ADN of the brand.

04:14So there is an issue

04:15to preserve the historical agility

04:19of the Alpine brand,

04:20all having to manage

04:22a mass,

04:23or a weight.

04:24So there,

04:25we have a pilot system

04:26that can help and facilitate

04:28the vehicles

04:29to perform agilely,

04:32and dynamic.

04:33One of the main systems

04:36on which we have worked recently,

04:38is the Active Torque Vectoring.

04:39It's a pilot system

04:41that allows us to have

04:42a precise gestion

04:44and differentiate

04:45from the torque to the wheel,

04:47to facilitate the performance

04:50of the vehicle

04:52in dynamic.

04:53The first time

04:54that I was driving

04:55a A390,

04:57it reminded me of

04:58an old feeling

04:59when I was passing

05:01from the right to the right

05:02to the left.

05:03We find this agility,

05:05this facilitation

05:06that gives a huge pleasure.

05:09And the second time,

05:10it's the acoustic aspect.

05:12Because the passage

05:13from thermals to electric,

05:15we lose the musicality

05:17of the thermals.

05:18To be able to recreate

05:19a sound and acoustic dimension

05:22that somehow transcend

05:23the behavior of the car,

05:25it's a real challenge.

05:26The goal is to give

05:28the client a additional dimension

05:30on the dynamic behavior

05:33of the car through the sound.

05:37The electric technology

05:38opens new horizons.

05:40It allows, for example,

05:42we have a better mass

05:44because we can put

05:45heavy mass,

05:46very well positioned

05:47in the car,

05:48low,

05:49close to the gravity center.

05:50But it also allows,

05:51thanks to the electric engine

05:53that we can pilot

05:54at almost a millisecond

05:55of almost a millisecond

05:56to introduce

05:57some pilot strategies

05:59that we could not have

06:00with the thermic.

06:01We have to invest

06:04in a new band

06:06of simulation

06:07dynamic vehicle.

06:08It's the same thing

06:09that what is used

06:10for example

06:11in Formula 1

06:12or in sports

06:13automobile.

06:14And it's the same approach

06:15that we are trying

06:16to put in place

06:17for the development

06:18of the future vehicles.

06:19We are creating

06:23the Hypertech Alpine Racing

06:25Hypertech Alpine

06:26which is a high technology structure

06:29and a real window

06:30for the engineering

06:31of Group Renault

06:32and of Alpine, of course,

06:33in particular.

06:34These are really

06:35the people

06:36who today

06:37make the Formula 1 engines

06:39and who are involved

06:40in endurance,

06:41by example,

06:42who will contribute

06:43tomorrow

06:44to these projects

06:45Group Renault.

06:46It's going to be

06:48for the development

06:49of new technologies.

06:50It's also going to be

06:51for the ways

06:52of reasoning

06:53that we use

06:54in competition

06:55which are quite different

06:56from what we can see

06:57in the automobile industry

06:58to get out of the field

07:00and think

07:01outside of the company

07:02as we say in English.

07:03I think that

07:04it's really important

07:05and it can give

07:06great things

07:07in any case,

07:08I'm convinced.

07:11We are developing

07:12here

07:13at Alpine Racing

07:14the engine

07:15of the future

07:18supercar Alpine

07:19and this is very

07:20very promising.

07:21We are going to see

07:22the real transfer

07:23of the technology

07:24and the knowledge

07:25of the people

07:26of the F1

07:27and the endurance

07:28to a car

07:29that will be homologized

07:30on the road.

07:31And I think

07:32that will be a lot of fun.

Alpine, 70 years - Episode 3 – Innovations behind the Alpine bodywork

Category

Transcript

Recommended