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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 ...

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 Sam Abuelsamid

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 ...

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 ...

Renault still using KERS this weekend, wants it banned for 2010 6 months ago on Autoblog Green

The Formula One circus has landed in Bahrain this weekend and the controversies surrounding kinetic energy recovery systems are continuing. Four of ten teams are apparently using KERS this week including BMW, Ferrari, McLaren and Renault. Renault team boss Flavio Briatore remains unconvinced of the ...

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 ...

What is regenerative braking? 6 months ago on Autoblog Green

Ah, fire. One of humanity's oldest ways to generate energy. Technically, you could generate energy by burning brake pads, as seen in the picture above (thanks, Flickr!), but automotive engineers have managed to come up with a way to use brakes to generate energy without going up in flames. The ...

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 ...

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 ...

FIA president Max Mosley wants electric hybrids banned in favor of mechanical KERS 10 months ago on Autoblog Green

Starting with the 2009 season. Formula One teams are allowed to use kinetic energy recovery systems (KERS) to boost performance. Over the course of the 2008 season, most of the teams started testing a few different systems with varying degrees of success. Many of these hybrid systems proved ...

Ferrari Formula 1 KERS system more expensive than estimated 10 months ago on Autoblog Green

All of the teams in Formula One have spent a significant portion of 2008 developing and testing the new Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS) that will debut in 2009. Among the teams there is a mix of two basic types of systems, a mechanical flywheel-based system and electrical battery-based ...

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 ...

KERS Formula 1 hybrid system will not be delayed 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

The Kinetic Energy Recovery System will indeed be affixed to the powertrains of Formula 1 cars in 2009. The issue of whether the hybrid system should be delayed was recently brought up, with Renault calling a meeting of all the teams together to discuss the problem. It seems that BMW, Honda and ...

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 ...


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