Flywheel Hybrid Technology

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Torotrak is a UK-based company that's developing a technology called a flywheel hybrid. Instead of using a big, heavy battery to store energy, the Torotrak system uses a spinning flywheel. It's simple and lightweight compared to traditional electric hybrids, and it's even going to be used in Formula One race cars. There's no word yet if any automakers are signing up, but if it starts winning races you can bet they'll be all over it.

Channel: Autos & Vehicles
Uploaded: June 5, 2008 at 1:43 am
Author: AutolineDetroit

Length: 00:05:19
Rating: 3.94
Views: 14115

Tags: John McElroy Autoline hybrid hybrids technology car cars auto autos flywheel

Video Comments:
fourtheboys96 (November 14, 2008 at 10:59 am)
well, i am not an engineer but based on my little knowledge on these matter, flywheel KERS seems to fit better in F1 cars. but battery KERS for road cars.

batteries can keep the road car running longer in cruise mode. flywheel wont but it can give the sudden burst of additional HP needed in racing.

am i right?
clustro2 (November 2, 2008 at 8:20 am)
"Well, the rules are, 400 kilojoules of energy, per lap."
"Put that in English man!"

Is the host of this show a fucking idiot? Did he even graduate from high school?
TheSaintST1 (October 11, 2008 at 8:49 am)
Not necessarily - the system is compact enough to work in tandem with diesel-electric battery hybrid system alongside regenerative braking. Electric motors at their least efficient at low RPM so the flywheel could act as a turbo charger to improve electric economy for low RPM. The compact nature means that four of these systems could be mounted for each wheel. There are so many ideas - its a really exciting time to be an automotive engineer right now!!!
TheSaintST1 (October 11, 2008 at 8:51 am)
Diesel-electric = similar to those used in trains and the Chevy Volt.
enyap88 (September 23, 2008 at 11:35 pm)
interesting stuff but the bloke has an annoying voice
TeamYankee2 (October 13, 2008 at 2:02 pm)
Yeah American's can be like that!
vipersharer (August 15, 2008 at 3:44 pm)
Reporter banguela!!! lol lol
scrumdiddly (August 5, 2008 at 5:49 pm)
Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't this video just show us a CVT in action, not a flywheel energy storage device?
TeamYankee2 (October 13, 2008 at 2:00 pm)
That's right.. that's the most important part. How the stored energy of a spinning flywheel is delivered to the drive train is the tricky bit! Anyone can connect up a flywheel and spin it up to speed.. it's how you deliver the power to the wheels is what matters... a CVT system is the only way to control the variable speed in the flywheel.. as it's used it slows down but must continue to drive the draive train at the same rate.
Roundy1161 (July 27, 2008 at 8:52 am)
Is it?

Kinetic - electrical - chemical - electrical - kinetic is what is needs to do with an electric one (brakes to electricity to the batteries to electricity to the electric engine)

If it is 90% efficient at each change it winds up 65.6% efficent overall, and i would guess it is worse than 90% at each change

80% at each change gives ~41%