A flywheel hybrid system being developed from motorsport experience could cut fuel use in future Jaguar and Land Rover cars by more than a quarter, writes Brian Byrne.
The system is being developed by a group of people who formerly worked for Renault's Formula 1 team, and their Flybrid Systems company has teamed up with JLR to refine the technology.
They already have a prototype unit installed in a Jaguar XF saloon with a V6 diesel engine, and they claim it offers the power of a V8 while giving economies of 26 percent.
The technology is known as a kinetic energy recovery system and was originally developed to charge a battery or super capacitor to provide a short term boost to a race car. But the Flybrid Systems KERS uses a separate gearbox to transfer the spinning flywheel's energy directly to the power train.
The developers claim that during a steady journey, the system will allow the main engine to be switched off for 65 percent of the journey.
The carbon fibre/steel is very light but spins at 60,000rpm, which has the rim traveling at supersonic speeds. It is maintained in a special vacuum container designed to keep it safe if the vehicle is involved in a crash.
