easycarblog
easycarblog
www.easycarblog.com
View My AgentPage

Print this Page | Digg It | del.icio.us

British companies plan a new kinetic hybrid flywheel system
Companies in Britain are going onto new research in respect to technology that will allow engines to use the kinetic energy recovered from a high-speed fly-wheel. The research project is aimed over two years and it will be a completely mechanical system. Read Article



Comments:

Images hosted in your AgentSpace can now be posted in the comments section using the following syntax (case matters):
[img]IMAGE URL[/img]
Example: [img]http://agent004.myautospies.com/users/150/Sample-Gallery/sample1.JPG[/img]
kpaxxkpaxx - 7/4/2008 9:27:09 AM
+3 BoostDrop the Boost Up the Boost
ubercoolubercool - 7/4/2008 1:48:13 PM
+3 BoostDrop the Boost Up the Boost
Sounds great, clever Brits.

reply to this comment
t_bonet_bone - 7/4/2008 5:40:11 PM
+1 BoostDrop the Boost Up the Boost
Good idea, but probably won't be able to beat the market as the lithium-based hybrids roll out. This mechanical technique might still be more efficient, but if the lithiums are paired with plug-in technology then who can argue with getting the first 10-20 miles of your morning commute for pennies?

reply to this comment
DieselRulesDieselRules - 7/5/2008 12:54:37 AM
+1 BoostDrop the Boost Up the Boost
A tiny motor on the flywheel could spin the RPMs up while you sleep.
So when you roll out the driveway, you also go the 1st 10 miles on stored plug-in power, without the environmental disaster from the toxic battery production and disposal.
(my company designs battery-powered products for over a decade, so we know something about this area).


truckmentruckmen - 7/4/2008 6:47:56 PM
+1 BoostDrop the Boost Up the Boost
Time will tell, we probably won't see anything efficient and cheap to run available to us for another 10 years, I hope the auto industry proves me wrong!

reply to this comment
holmstarholmstar - 7/4/2008 9:34:53 PM
+1 BoostDrop the Boost Up the Boost
the fly-wheel has the advantage in efficiency, and would be able to absorb energy much more quickly than batteries, but you would need some sort of cvt between the drivetrain and the flywheel. Think about it... As drivetrain rpms decrease, flywheel rpms must increase. And the cvt needs to be able to handle a lot of torque. Which hasn't really been cvt transmissions strong point.

reply to this comment
DieselRulesDieselRules - 7/5/2008 1:06:36 AM
+1 BoostDrop the Boost Up the Boost
It can be done easier without mechanical connections.
If the flywheel was an electric motor/generator (along the lines of GM's truck hybrids) and you put a separate motor/generator on the flywheel, then (using electronic, variable-speed drive technology) you could attempt to accelerate the flywheel so fast that it would cause the drive-wheels to skid and nearly lock.
With a motor/generator at every wheel and smarts equivalent to an ABS system, you could put maximum braking at each wheel, independantly (including ESP functions) at recover all the power.
Meaning, you could drive the car like you stole it, and still use less fuel than a battery-electric hybrid ... which sounds very appealing to me!


DieselRulesDieselRules - 7/5/2008 1:08:36 AM
+1 BoostDrop the Boost Up the Boost
Clarification: I meant: "If the ENGINE'S flywheel was an electric motor/generator (along the lines of GM's truck hybrids) and you put a separate motor/generator on the ENERGY-STORING flywheel," ....


holmstarholmstar - 7/7/2008 11:57:42 AM
+1 BoostDrop the Boost Up the Boost
yes, but the article suggests a fully mechanical design. Your design also loses energy in the conversion to electricity and back to mechanical energy. If the generator and motor are both 85% efficient, then together you have an efficiency of about 72%. But that only gets the energy to the fly-wheel. Getting the energy back out, again at about 72% efficiency results in a total efficiency of about 52%. If they can come-up with a mechanical system that is about 10-15% efficient each way, you would have a total efficiency of 72-81%


holmstarholmstar - 7/7/2008 12:03:45 PM
+1 BoostDrop the Boost Up the Boost
Sorry, typo: By 10-15% efficient, I meant losing only 10-15%. That would be 85-90% efficiency.


urbansouljahurbansouljah - 7/4/2008 10:03:44 PM
+1 BoostDrop the Boost Up the Boost
This will be mated to an 8 speed ZF automatic.

reply to this comment
DieselRulesDieselRules - 7/5/2008 1:01:04 AM
+3 BoostDrop the Boost Up the Boost
This idea came out in the 1970's. It was technologically viable 30+ years ago.
However, its been killed by concerns about safety.
Anyone who knows the story about Don Garlits designing the first rear-engined dragster after losing his foot to a clutch blowing up at < 10,000 RPM would think twice about buying a vehicle with a heavier flywheel spinning at 10x that speed.
If you got in an accident and it was damaged, the shrapnel could kill everything within 1000 feet!
You may as well load your trunk with TNT.

So the technological challenge has been to build a SAFE flywheel ... and I presume their invention is a technology to address that issue.
If they can do it, then its a much greener solution than anything with batteries.

reply to this comment
To post a comment for this story, you must first Login.

If you do not have an account, you will need to Register (It's Free!).

Most Recent Stories
Is There Such a Thing As A "Best Handling Car" And If So, Does Audi's R8 Win Gold? Find Out Who Says Yes - But Did They Get It Wrong?Revealed: Toyota's new Avensis flagship sedanRENNTech To Debut Pikes Peak-Inspired Mercedes-Benz GLK During SEMA WeekAMG Duo Spotted in California DesertViper SRT10 ACR Record Breakingaround Nurburgring Time2009 Cadillac CTS-V: First DriveFinding It Hard To Find The Time To Wash The Car? How About Waterless!How Low Can It Go? Industry Forecast For August Is Down Over 14%RECALL FRIDAY: GM Recalls 857,000 SUV For Faulty Wiper SystemsSinister Mercedes C-Class by KichererLotus Clark Type 25 Elise SC Limited Edition available for the mainland EuropeanDid Toyota Fall Victim To The Lure Of Money With The Tundra?Production Chevy Volt caught out in the open2009 Nissan R35 GT-R Nismo Tuning Packages2010 Lotus Europa i6 Concept DesignToyota will beat Volt to marketPirelli launches new Cyber tires with electronic monitoringHeated seats could ruin a man's chances of having kidsSpy Shots: Porshce Panamera with its rear door openAudi to get an electric version of the VW Up!Mazda working on Volt rival Is Toyota Tightening The Belt Too Much On Lexus?Up To The Challenge? Why Of Course! 2009 Hyundai Genesis ReviewHybrid Sales Rise, But Tax Breaks Motivate Some More Than Fuel SavingsBetter Fill Up Now - Gas Prices Back On The RiseRECALL THURSDAY: Hyundai Recalls 65,000 Elantras For Faulty Fuel PumpsToyota Now Cuts Global Outlook For 2009 By 7%Toyota Out Smarts The SMART Car With New iQMicrosoft bringing cheaper internet to carsBMW To Bring Four New Models To Paris Auto ShowBugatti offering more colors for the Fbg par HermèsChrome colored HAMANN Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 for saleSo You Think You Bought A Lemon? THIS Is Who You Call!Vw unveils Caddy Topos Sail Design ConceptHyundai Compares Themselves To Competitors After Genesis Scores 5 Star Crash ResultsIf The Keys For Both Of These Cars Were On The Table, Which Would You Pick Up?Lexus IS Convertible coming next year, lightweight IS-F in the worksSpy Shots of new Mercedes taken by yours truly!Teach An New Dog Old Tricks? Lexus Debuts The quattro Inspired LS460 AWD In MoscowForget A Sub-Compact If Want To Save Real Money Just Buy a Gas Hog!Chrysler Considers Selling The Viper As A Brand!Audi Offers Race Ready R8's To The PublicBMW's M6 Gets Put On Notice- Audi's 570 HP RS5 Caught On US SoilMcLaren working on family of supercars for 2009Revealed: Splinter wooden supercarGM releases GTR-style multi-function displayFiat Portofino concept re-creates 1960s beach carsNext-generation Mazda MX-5 will be more dramaticIf Lexus Isn't NERVOUS, It Should BE!Why Is BMW Backing Away From Performance? The M3 CSL Bites The Dust!