Conflux and Donkervoort develop F1-grade additively manufactured air cooler for P24 RS supercar

Donkervoort Automobielen, a specialist car maker based in Lelystad, the Netherlands, and Conflux Technology, headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, have partnered to produce an additively manufactured water-charge air cooler for the company’s upcoming P24 RS supercar.

The advanced water-charge air cooling system is reported to be lighter, smaller, and more efficient than anything previously seen in production cars. Made from aluminium alloy, the air coolers weigh just 1.4 kg each, compared to 16 kg for conventional air-to-air units with similar thermal capacity.

“The key to engine performance is keeping the intake air as cold as possible,” stated Managing Director Denis Donkervoort. “We challenged ourselves to find the best way to achieve that – and Conflux delivered.”

“We moved to a liquid-to-air cooler, made using Additive Manufacturing, from a company that isn’t just on the cutting edge – they’re ahead of it. We gave Conflux our exact specifications, and they delivered a solution so effective, we could even downsize it from the original prototype,” continued Donkervoort.

Thanks to their compact form, the ultra-lightweight air coolers now sit within the engine bay rather than at the front of the car, helping reduce the inlet-tract length of the outgoing engine by two-thirds. The result is quicker response, greater efficiency, and optimised weight distribution.

Designed and built in Australia, the cooling system integrates a custom-sized, thin-wall radiator that provides more cooling with less coolant and a smaller surface area than its predecessor. The water is cooled through the radiator, then redirected to chill the intake air before it enters the combustion chamber.

“Our Formula 1 technology is available beyond the track for the first time,” added Conflux founder Michael Fuller. “We’re scaling it for the high-performance automotive market. For limited-production vehicles like the P24 RS, F1-grade solutions are finally within reach.”

Donkervoort was among the first to adopt Conflux’s production-ready air coolers, utilising cylindrical designs placed directly between the turbochargers and throttle bodies of the PTC engine. Each component is additively manufactured with tailored fin geometry, density, and size, said to be grounded in ‘engineering-first’ principles.

“Donkervoort approached us with clear cost and performance targets,” Fuller continued. “Their clarity and drive made this one of our most exciting collaborations. Within our configurable product line, we could fine-tune everything – from diameter and fin density to overall length – for the most efficient design possible.”

www.donkervoort.com

www.confluxtechnology.com

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