Autoline on Autoblog with John McElroy
by John McElroy on May 8th 2008 at 3:29PM 
WHY USE BATTERIES IF FLYWHEELS WILL DO?
Formula One could be on to something big. Next year all teams will be allowed to capture the energy that their cars produce under braking, and then re-use that energy at opportune moments, like passing on a straight.
It's really a hybrid system, but they don't call it that. They call it a Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS).
The best part of the new regulations is that they do not specify what kind of regenerative energy system the teams have to use. It seems pretty likely that Toyota and Honda will go with a battery-electric hybrid system, since that's the kind of technology they sell in their showrooms. But Formula One is also going to become the testing grounds for a completely different kind of hybrid system that does not use batteries.
John McElroy is host of the TV program "Autoline Detroit". Every week he brings his unique insights as an auto industry insider to Autoblog readers. Follow the jump to continue reading this week's editorial.
It's called a flybrid, a combination of flywheel and hybrid. Rather than capture and store braking energy as electricity in batteries as most hybrids do, it stores that energy mechanically in the form of a spinning flywheel. You know those toy cars you push along the carpet so the wheels will get an internal flywheel spinning, then let it go and watch it scoot across the floor? It's the same idea, only fancier.
The Formula One version gets the flywheel spinning when the brakes are applied, thanks to a CVT, which acts as a go-between for the flywheel, the gearbox and the differential. During braking the car is slowed down by the energy that's mechanically diverted into the flywheel and the effort that goes into getting it spinning. As a result, it spins with ferocious intensity. The flywheel, which is a small cylinder made of carbon and steel that only weighs about ten pounds, is encased in a vacuum and spins up to 64,500 rpm. To express that in more impressive terms, the outer edge of the flywheel is traveling at Mach 3.3!
To tap into that power, a clutch engages the flywheel with the CVT, which feeds through the gearbox into the differential which turns the axles that drive the tires and wheels.
During the 2009 season, Formula One is regulating how much extra power can be used, and how long it can be used for. Though the rules writers express it in more technical terms, for all practical purposes it's limited to bursts of 80 horsepower that can be used for up to 6.6 seconds, every lap.
But that's what the rules writers want for Formula One. What I find so intriguing about the flybrid is that it can easily be configured to use in everyday vehicles. Indeed, the companies that have developed this system claim it can boost the fuel economy of a vehicle by 27% based on the EPA driving cycle (FTP75). They claim they can offer a hybrid package that is half the size and weight of a battery-based system, at one quarter of the cost. It's also made from fairly common materials that can be readily recycled.
This is a collaborative effort involving three different UK-based companies. The first, appropriately enough, is called Flybrid Systems LLP. It holds two crucial patents that make the system practical: a method to seal the vacuum in the flywheel housing, and a way to contain the flywheel in case of catastrophic failure. This latter point is extremely critical as there's been a couple of reports over the years of engineers being fatally injured when the flywheel systems they were working on failed with explosive consequences. Two transmission companies, Torotrak and Xtrac, are the other partners in this effort.
F1 teams are not required to use a KERS in their cars. But it seems unlikely that anyone will want to give up the chance to use that "push-to-pass" power. We'll have to wait and see what kinds of systems actually show up on the grid next year, but the flybrid people tell me there will be two teams with theirs. Since the principle managers at Flybrid Systems LLP have historical connections with the Renault F1 team, it makes me think that's possibly one of them.
The word out there is that Williams will have a completely different system that uses both a flywheel and batteries. And the Le Mans organizers and ALMS are looking into flybrids, too. So who knows where this is all going?
Not only is the flybrid a fascinating technology, it's an encouraging example of how motor racing can use regulations like KERS to regain its historical role of pushing the technological envelope to point the way to a better automotive future.
Read more about the Flybrid over at John's Journal on Autolinedetroit.tv.
Autoline Detroit
Airs every Sunday at 7:00AM on Speed and 10:30AM on Detroit Public Television.
Autoline Detroit Podcast
Click here to subscribe in iTunes
Last week's show: "Necessary Conclusions"
Formula One could be on to something big. Next year all teams will be allowed to capture the energy that their cars produce under braking, and then re-use that energy at opportune moments, like passing on a straight.It's really a hybrid system, but they don't call it that. They call it a Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS).
The best part of the new regulations is that they do not specify what kind of regenerative energy system the teams have to use. It seems pretty likely that Toyota and Honda will go with a battery-electric hybrid system, since that's the kind of technology they sell in their showrooms. But Formula One is also going to become the testing grounds for a completely different kind of hybrid system that does not use batteries.
John McElroy is host of the TV program "Autoline Detroit". Every week he brings his unique insights as an auto industry insider to Autoblog readers. Follow the jump to continue reading this week's editorial.
It's called a flybrid, a combination of flywheel and hybrid. Rather than capture and store braking energy as electricity in batteries as most hybrids do, it stores that energy mechanically in the form of a spinning flywheel. You know those toy cars you push along the carpet so the wheels will get an internal flywheel spinning, then let it go and watch it scoot across the floor? It's the same idea, only fancier.
The Formula One version gets the flywheel spinning when the brakes are applied, thanks to a CVT, which acts as a go-between for the flywheel, the gearbox and the differential. During braking the car is slowed down by the energy that's mechanically diverted into the flywheel and the effort that goes into getting it spinning. As a result, it spins with ferocious intensity. The flywheel, which is a small cylinder made of carbon and steel that only weighs about ten pounds, is encased in a vacuum and spins up to 64,500 rpm. To express that in more impressive terms, the outer edge of the flywheel is traveling at Mach 3.3!To tap into that power, a clutch engages the flywheel with the CVT, which feeds through the gearbox into the differential which turns the axles that drive the tires and wheels.
During the 2009 season, Formula One is regulating how much extra power can be used, and how long it can be used for. Though the rules writers express it in more technical terms, for all practical purposes it's limited to bursts of 80 horsepower that can be used for up to 6.6 seconds, every lap.
But that's what the rules writers want for Formula One. What I find so intriguing about the flybrid is that it can easily be configured to use in everyday vehicles. Indeed, the companies that have developed this system claim it can boost the fuel economy of a vehicle by 27% based on the EPA driving cycle (FTP75). They claim they can offer a hybrid package that is half the size and weight of a battery-based system, at one quarter of the cost. It's also made from fairly common materials that can be readily recycled.
This is a collaborative effort involving three different UK-based companies. The first, appropriately enough, is called Flybrid Systems LLP. It holds two crucial patents that make the system practical: a method to seal the vacuum in the flywheel housing, and a way to contain the flywheel in case of catastrophic failure. This latter point is extremely critical as there's been a couple of reports over the years of engineers being fatally injured when the flywheel systems they were working on failed with explosive consequences. Two transmission companies, Torotrak and Xtrac, are the other partners in this effort.
F1 teams are not required to use a KERS in their cars. But it seems unlikely that anyone will want to give up the chance to use that "push-to-pass" power. We'll have to wait and see what kinds of systems actually show up on the grid next year, but the flybrid people tell me there will be two teams with theirs. Since the principle managers at Flybrid Systems LLP have historical connections with the Renault F1 team, it makes me think that's possibly one of them.
The word out there is that Williams will have a completely different system that uses both a flywheel and batteries. And the Le Mans organizers and ALMS are looking into flybrids, too. So who knows where this is all going?
Not only is the flybrid a fascinating technology, it's an encouraging example of how motor racing can use regulations like KERS to regain its historical role of pushing the technological envelope to point the way to a better automotive future.
Read more about the Flybrid over at John's Journal on Autolinedetroit.tv.
###
Autoline Detroit
Airs every Sunday at 7:00AM on Speed and 10:30AM on Detroit Public Television.
Autoline Detroit Podcast
Click here to subscribe in iTunes
Last week's show: "Necessary Conclusions"
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
whatWHAT 3:52PM (5/08/2008)
and to think, the FIA is pushing for cost cutting at the same time! Let's freeze engine development for 5 years to cut costs but by the way were taking away tire warmers and giving you this. You suck Bernie!!!
Reply
James 7:34PM (5/08/2008)
Bernie sucks, but the FIA is run by SS Oberfuhrer Max Mosley. He's the one who's so anal about costs, yet continually introducing new regulations that costs $$ for the teams to implement.
Steven 4:02PM (5/08/2008)
Awesome. I just wonder about the inertial side effect of a spinning gyroscope in a car. The vehicles probably won't be as eager to change directions.
Reply
Bungle 4:07PM (5/08/2008)
Actually, if spinning in the right direction, I would think that this could have a mild stabilizing effect. I doubt that these small flywheels would really make a huge difference, though.
zoiks 4:14PM (5/08/2008)
I agree that the gyroscope will add stability, but from the vantage of a driver, it will feel quite destabilizing because his own inputs will not correspond to the motions of the car. And if it is an 80hp flywheel, then there is plenty of energy in there to influence the car.
I'm not disagreeing, but just playing devils advocate for the sake of discussion
naggs 4:18PM (5/08/2008)
guys, that is exactally his point. it will add stability, which is bad. watch an f1 race and look how quickly the cars have to change direction.
they go to a lot of trouble to minimize the amount of traction it takes to turn the cars, they have to be twitchy to get around corners at those speeds.
the gyroscopic effect created by the tires and powertrain are already very significant and more will be something the engineers have to keep in mind with the new cars.
havoc 4:20PM (5/08/2008)
i think, based on the orientation, it should provide no more instability than say a large turbo
nataku83 4:28PM (5/08/2008)
The resultant torque from a flywheel is the cross product (perpendicular to) the angular momentum vector (axis on which the flywheel spins) and the applied torque (axis about which the car is turning - this is essentially up and down). If you align the two, everything is fine, there won't be noticeable effects from a simplified 2d turn, however going around a banked turn would cause the car to dive or lift (depending on the direction of the flywheel or the direction of the body roll). Fortunately, you generally have pretty minimal roll angles and they're usually not applied quickly. Aligning the flywheel in a different direction would cause severe pitching or rolling moments to be applied to the car when going around a turn - not a good thing.
Also, I hate to think of the safety issues associated with a car getting into an accident and a 10 pound flywheel spinning at 65,000 rpm suddenly being exposed to the atmosphere, debris and the people involved. I'm sure these specs would be different for a commercially available vehicle, but the system only works if the flywheel is storing a large amount of energy. Vacuums are also difficult to maintain, and materials behave strangely in them (outgassing is a major problem, and aerospace grade materials that would be necessary for lubricating bearings, etc.. are very expensive).
It sounds like it might be a promising idea, but there are certainly a lot of challenges involved.
thesawzall 4:46PM (5/08/2008)
Couldn't it be counteracted by an opposite rotating twin? It would work just like a counter-rotating prop or helicopter rotor. Of course that would increase complexity and likely double the failure rate.
KDM 12:47AM (5/09/2008)
More than likely these flywheels are not monolithic. They are usually wound carbon fiber and some sort of epoxy. They don't fail explosively they kinda unravel and turn into a pile of hot fluff.
Pete 1:21PM (5/09/2008)
How about if the flywheel (taking the gyro analogy further) could be manipulated along with the steering wheels to actually "enhance" stability through turns/ change direction, rather than "inhibit" stability/ resist change in direction? It seems to me that this is the perfect example of turning lemons into lemonade...
Eric Liberatore 4:14PM (5/08/2008)
This is what I love about F1. It's a race series that develops new technologies that trickle down to the consumer market. Except in the case of battery hybrids.
Reply
naggs 4:14PM (5/08/2008)
i have high hopes for flywheel recovery systems.
this is the only 'hybrid' system that has a hope of actually increasing the performance of a sportscar until dramatic breakthroughs in battery tech arrive.
Reply
havoc 4:23PM (5/08/2008)
ok, so i was meaning just in general terms, but i can see how it might have influence on the turning of such a light vehicle, but it's forces could also counter balance the gyroscopic natue of the reciprocating engine mass (turn it in opposite direction?)
Reply
pmiddle5 4:23PM (5/08/2008)
a w e s o m e
Reply
Bungle 11:18PM (5/09/2008)
t o t @ l l y !
pmiddle5 11:34PM (5/09/2008)
50000 5\/\/33t!
Brandon C 4:40PM (5/08/2008)
mostly likely it will be a slight noticeable change if one at all .
Reply
71cuda 4:50PM (5/08/2008)
This will be interesting to watch. It's similar to the system Chrysler tried to develop in their Patriot LMP car 15 years ago. They never got it to work safely. Something about keeping the driver alive if the flywheel suffered catastrophic failure. That was a long time ago and maybe a good idea can finally be worked out.
Reply
Anthony 8:46AM (5/13/2008)
Urban Rumor in Detroit says testing a system killed an engineer and Chrysler pulled the plug on the project.
I wish people with stop with the nonsense about flying projectiles, the morons on the road are more dangerous than flywheels moving at 65,000rpm all of a sudden leaving the car, if the accident dis-lodged the thing, chances are you are VERY dead, it wouldn't MATTER!