Arrow McLaren set the trend for innovation with the mid-season debut of IndyCar’s hybrid unit, implementing a cockpit lighting system to help the driver be aware of his state of charge.
The IndyCar Series ushered in a new era at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Circuit with the launch of its hybrid powertrain this race weekend.
The current 2.2-liter twin-turbo V6 internal combustion engine is paired with a low-voltage (48 V) generator set and a supercapacitor energy storage system (ESS). More than 800 horsepower is possible thanks to the 4.5-second boost combined with push-to-pass, which is readily available to drivers.
With the combination of regeneration and deployment, Arrow McLaren decided to get creative by designing and implementing a cockpit lighting system that helps provide SOC information to the driver, mounted on both sides of the cockpit so they can see it when cornering.
Arrow McLaren team principal Gavin Ward told Motorsport.com that Alexander Rossi, who is set to leave at the end of the season in a mutual decision, pitched the concept and engineers got to work.
“I think the original idea was pitched by Rossi,” Ward said. “Then we had some brilliant engineers who worked on it and figured out how to implement it and how it was going to work.
“I did some work in the simulator and worked with Chevy to put it into practice and make sure we were ready when we got here and got the system up and running.
“It was fun to do. It’s fun that people noticed it. I know the guys who worked on it should be proud of themselves. It’s fun to have these opportunities to show some innovation and some intelligence.”
Arrow McLaren Hybrid Dashboard Lights
Photo by: Uncredited
Ward said each of the three cars is equipped with the lighting system, but was not ready to share details on the specifics.
“It’s obviously about providing the drivers with information about the hybrid system,” Ward said. “Yes, at some level you’ll see it go up and down depending on the usage over the course of the lap.”
Pato O’Ward, who will start second in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet after narrowly missing out on pole by 0.0024s, was enthusiastic about how the lights help him during a lap.
“It’s great,” O’Ward said. “It’s just an extra way to fall back on yourself if you’re going through a tough time, especially in a racing scenario where there’s a lot more going on.
“You can quickly go in and really see where you are in terms of levels, are you out of sequence, can you get back in.
“Ultimately, it’s kind of like an observer, in a way. You obviously use your initial kind of judgment, but if for some reason you forget or whatever, it’s kind of there to bring you back.”
Patricio O’Ward, Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
Photo by: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Images
And O’Ward also believes it won’t be long before rival teams realize that.
“I think each team will see… maybe some will decide to do it, maybe some won’t, but each team will probably have their own type of lighting system or whatever,” O’Ward said.
Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou, who comes in as the defending race winner and edged O’Ward for the pole, responded with a position of his own.
“Yeah, I don’t have those fancy lights,” said Palou, the defending and two-time IndyCar Series champion. “I don’t know.
“I think that might be a bit of an exaggeration. But it looks really cool, I agree.”
But would Palou like a similar lighting system on his dashboard?
“Yes, it depends,” Palou said. “Everything is free for us. We can do whatever we want.”
“We can make bars. We can make numbers. We can make lights. On your dashboard, you can do whatever you want. It’s easy to see.
“But you can also use the little LED lights that we have on the dashboard, but they’re obviously more visible. It’s similar to what they use in IMSA, right? It’s visible. You don’t have to look at the screen. I don’t know if that’s something we’ll have or not. Maybe.”
Ward is also ready for his next innovation with lights: making them work like “KITT,” the iconic Pontiac Firebird Trans Am from the popular 1980s television show Knight Rider.
“We’re thinking about doing a Knight Rider thing, maybe when the car is off,” he said. “So we’ll work on that.”
