Torotrak, Xtrac partner on F1 energy recovery system

Toroidal traction drive specialist Torotrak plc (earlier post) and vehicle transmission design and manufacturing company Xtrac Ltd have entered into a licence agreement that will enable Xtrac to develop highly efficient and compact continuously variable transmissions (CVTs) for use in the new kinetic energy recovery systems (KERS) proposed for Formula One ("F1") motor racing. In 2009, F1 is introducing new rules that will lower the environmental impact of the sport. (Earlier post.) Part of this is to recover deceleration energy that can be stored for acceleration. Xtrac will exploit Torotrak's full-toroidal traction drive technology for use in kinetic energy recovery systems within the motorsport industry.

Some of the new KERS systems under development will be mechanically based and will utilize a flywheel to recuperate, store and subsequently discharge a moving vehicle's kinetic energy, which is otherwise wasted when the vehicle is decelerated. The kinetic energy is stored during a braking maneuver and is then released back into the driveline as the vehicle accelerates. The combination of a Torotrak variator - providing mechanical efficiency that should be in excess of 90% - with a flywheel of advanced construction results in a highly efficient and compact energy storage system.

Torotrak and Xtrac believe that the variator-flywheel solution provides a significantly more compact, efficient, lighter and environmentally-friendly solution than the traditional alternative of electrical-battery systems. The two companies consider that the system is applicable to other motor sports and everyday vehicles and see the potential for wider applications - particularly on high-performance road cars - as an aid to performance and also as a means of developing future products with reduced CO2 emission levels.

- The flywheel system looks to me more like an ultracapacitor competitor than a lithium-ion battery competitor, ie it's more for short bursts of energy than for a sustained drive for, say, a 10-, 20-mile commuting journey.

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