OEMs turn to flywheel hybrids

摘要

Jaguar and Ford are finding out if flywheels, instead of electric motors and batteries, could recover the kinetic energy vehicles waste when braking. A joint R&D project aims to have the system in production by 2015. Next year Formula One teams will use flywheel systems to recover racecars' brake energy and use it to boost acceleration. At 5kg, the mechanical devices weigh less than batteries and can store more energy, spinning at 60,000rpm. But durability is a relatively small issue in Formula One. If Ford and Jaguar are to put the technology into road cars, it must last far longer than just a weekend's racing. "It's a mechanical system, comprising a flywheel energy storage device and a traction-drive variable transmission that connects it to the vehicle's drivetrain," said Jaguar.