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KineticEnergy


Zytek developed the Mercedes F1 KERS system

It turns out that when the time came for the McLaren-Mercedes Formula One team to develop a hybrid drive KERS for this year's car, it did not do the job in-house. Instead, it went to a specialist with perhaps more experience than anyone in developing such systems, Zytek. The UK engineering firm developed the hybrid powertrain for the first modern race car of the type, the Panoz Q9, a decade ago. We checked with Corsa Motorsports team owner, Steve Pruitt, at this weekends ALMS race at Mid-Ohio and asked if there was any relationship ... Read more →

McLaren gets first ever victory for a KERS-equipped race car Sam Abuelsamid

2009 has not been a good season for the McLaren team and defending world driving champion Lewis Hamilton. Nonetheless, the team – along with Ferrari – are the only ones still persevering ...

Williams will likely never race flywheel KERS, may have commercial application Sam Abuelsamid

The Williams Formula One team developed one of the most unusual approaches to a hybrid KERS (kinetic energy recovery system) but it looks increasingly unlikely that the system will ever be used in ...

New Energy to test MotionPower energy generator at Burger King drive-thru Jeremy Korzeniewski

We've seen plenty of devices that are meant to recapture the kinetic energy of an automobile as it moves overhead, most recently at a Sainsbury's supermarket in Gloucester, United Kingdom. Oddly ...

BMW gives up on KERS for the remainder of the 2009 F1 season Sam Abuelsamid

After using its KERS hybrid system on and off through the first half of the 2009 Formula One season, the BMW-Sauber team has decided enough is enough. The team will shelve the system through the ...

Formula One teams alliance votes to ban KERS in 2010 5 months ago on Autoblog Green

The Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) voted this past weekend to push for a ban on kinetic energy recovery systems (KERS) in 2010. While it wasn't a unanimous vote, a majority of the eight teams remaining in the group voted in favor of the ban. The Williams and Force India teams were recently ...

Only four cars to run KERS at Monaco Grand Prix 5 months ago on Autoblog Green

The ongoing debate among Formula one teams over whether to run kinetic energy recovery systems (KERS) continues as those teams head to the streets of Monaco this weekend. While as many as eight cars have used the new hybrid systems at races earlier this year, only four are expected to use it this ...

Mercedes-Benz with KERS? Don't hold your breath 6 months ago on Autoblog Green

Of the 10 teams competing in this year's Formula 1 championship, McLaren-Mercedes is the only one that's equipped both of its cars with a kinetic energy recovery system for every single race so far this season. Whether the 60 kW power boost has helped or not is up for debate, but it's at least ...

SAE 2009: Torotrak mechanical flywheel KERS, likely coming to next Jaguar XJ 6 months ago on Autoblog Green

Adding an electric motor and battery to a vehicle is just one of many ways to create a hybrid. We've seen hydraulic hybrids being tested in a variety of commercial vehicle applications. Torotrak has an altogether different mechanical system based on flywheels. The Torotrak system first came to our ...

Three races in, Formula One teams already abandoning KERS 6 months ago on Autoblog Green

Apparently, hybrid drive systems aren't catching on in Formula 1 this year. The new 2009 rules allowed, but did not require the addition of hybrid systems called KERS or kinetic energy recovery systems. Over the course of the 2008 season, teams spent time developing and testing KERS with varying ...

McLaren aims for "eco-friendly" supercar in 2011 6 months ago on Autoblog Green

The soon to be independent McLaren Automotive plans to launch what it calls an "eco-friendly" supercar in two years. McLaren Group CEO Ron Dennis announced on Thursday that the company was being restructured and the road car division would be spun off later this year as an separate company as it ...

KERS has mixed results in Formula One debut 7 months ago on Autoblog Green

Today's 2009 Formula One season opener in Australia marked the debut of kinetic energy recovery systems (KERS) in the sport. Unfortunately, this first use of the new hybrid drive systems had mixed results. Only seven of the twenty cars on the grid were running with KERS and, in qualifying, the top ...

Renault first to commit to KERS for Sunday's F1 race 7 months ago on Autoblog Green

Formula 1 teams are split on whether or not to use the controversial kinetic energy recovery hybrid technology at the beginning of the 2009 season. So far, Renault is the only team that has committed to using its KERS implementation for Sunday's race in Australia, which is the first of the ...

Confirmed: Ferrari going hybrid 8 months ago on Autoblog Green

One of the stated reasons that automakers send prototype race cars around tracks at high rates of speed is to further the development of new technology for their road-going automobiles. There's no higher form of automotive motorsport than Formula 1, so it stands to reason that fuel-saving ...

As Formula 1 prepares to launch KERS, safety concerns mount 8 months ago on Autoblog Green

The opening of the 2009 Formula one season is only a month away in Melbourne, Austraiia and, for the first time, teams will be able to compete with KERS hybrid drive systems aboard. It's not clear yet how many of the teams are actually ready to run their systems, but there is one big concern: ...

VIDEO: Red Bull Racing preview of its new KERS-equipped F1 car 9 months ago on Autoblog Green

Up to this point, most Formula One race teams have maintained their usual veil of secrecy on what's inside their new cars. The Red Bull team has produced an interesting computer generated animation video that gives a little peak inside the new RB5 car that they are running for 2009. The most ...

Ferrari tested at least three different KERS configurations in F1 car 9 months ago on Autoblog Green

Ferrari reportedly tested at least three different kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) configurations on its Formula One cars during 2008 and was dissatisfied with all of them. The most unusual setup involved mounting the batteries in the nose of the car. From a weight distribution standpoint, ...

BMW to Ferrari re: KERS: Sorry 'bout your lack of competitiveness 10 months ago on Autoblog Green

It must take guts to call out Ferrari, considering that the Italian marque has been a dominant force in both road-going supercars and in race-ready hardware. In fact, Ferrari managed to take home the coveted Constructors' Championship last year, ably defeating BMW, which finished in third position ...

BMW tries to explain what went wrong with KERS in testing 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

Apparently, the problems that BMW Sauber had with its Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) are completely correctable. The racing team also believes that its mechanics and drivers were never in any real danger despite the high voltage system carried by the Formula 1 car. It seems that there was ...

F1 engineer believes that KERS safety issues can be fixed before 2009 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

In recent weeks there have been several safety related incidents during the development and testing of the new kinetic energy recovery systems (KERS) that will be rolled out in Formula 1 in 2009. Teams are working along two different development paths with some pursuing a mechanical flywheel based ...

BMW considering KERS for M Division? 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

Although BMW's Formula 1 team has had its fair share of troubles getting the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) to work properly, those minor setbacks may not be enough to stop the Bavarian automaker from using a similar system for its line of high performance M Division vehicles. The ...

Hybrid pioneer Toyota may not have F1 hybrid ready in time for 2009 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

Toyota may have lead the way to mass-market hybrid vehicles with its Prius, but that institutional knowledge is apparently not helping it on the Formula One circuit. While Toyota reportedly spends more money on its F1 program than any other team (and perhaps several small countries) it has yet to ...

Formula One to phase in Kinetic Energy Recovery System from 2009-2013 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

FIA President Max Mosely has sent a letter to Formula One teams outlining the plans for phasing in hybrid systems in the sport. Beginning in 2009, the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) will be integrated into the transmissions of F1 cars. The KERS is a mechanical system that captures kinetic ...


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