DENSO develops F1 alternator for Panasonic Toyota TF105

DENSO Corporation has developed a new alternator for Formula 1 (F1) racing and will install the device in the Panasonic Toyota F1 Racing Team’s TF105 car this season.

The alternator generates alternating currents at the stator coil when the engine turns the rotor. "We significantly reduced the size of the rotor as well as the stator by adopting a new magnet structure for the rotor and a new cooling structure for the rotor and stator. That allowed us to reduce the overall size and weight of the alternator," says Mineo Hanai, managing officer in charge of DENSO’s Electric Systems Business Group.

DENSO joined the Panasonic Toyota Racing F1 team as a corporate sponsor in 2004. Several DENSO products including spark plug, radiator and oil cooler were used in last season's Toyota F1 car, the TF104.