Volvo developing F1-inspired FKERS system

Volvo has confirmed it will begin researching and developing a new flywheel kinetic energy recovery system, or FKERS, that could be put to use on its road cars to improve performance and reduce fuel consumption and exhaust emissions.

The company claims the FKERS system can output up to 80hp, or about 59kW, and is most effective in stop-start traffic situations.

The system will take advantage of the energy that already exists as a car decelerates and though the KERS system used by F1 drivers is different to what Volvo is planning, the end result is similar - a stored amount of energy used to propel the vehicle.

The FKERS systems is placed on the rear axle in a front-wheel drive car and stores rotational energy when the vehicle is decelerating, and via a special transmission system the energy can then be used to propel the car at low speeds via the rear axle, such as from a standstill at a give-way sign. This would also make the car's part-time all-wheel drive vehicles.

"We are not the first manufacturer to test flywheel technology. But nobody else has applied it to the rear axle of a car fitted with a combustion engine driving the front wheels," stated Derek Crabb, Vice President of Powertrain Engineering at Volvo Car Corporation.

"If the tests and technical development go as planned, we expect cars with flywheel technology to reach the showrooms within a few years."

Crabb asserts that the technology is both light weight and affordable, saying that it could be added easily to any car, not just its top-tier models.

"The flywheel technology is relatively cheap. It can be used in a much larger volume of our cars than top-of-the-line technology such as the plug-in hybrid."

Volvo asserts that the FKERS system would also shut down the engine during deceleration and under initial acceleration (in the latter case when the system is using its stored energy to propel the car).

The result is reduced fuel use, up to 20 per cent less claims Volvo, and the technology will begin testing in the second half of 2011.

"Our aim is to develop a complete system for kinetic energy recovery," continued Crabb. "Tests in a Volvo car will get under way in the second half of 2011. This technology has the potential for reducing fuel consumption by up to 20 percent. What is more, it gives the driver an extra horsepower boost, giving a four-cylinder engine acceleration like a six-cylinder unit."

According to the Swedish company, the flywheel that it intends to use in its tests has a diameter of 20 centimetres, and spins in a vacuum (at up to 60,000rpm) to reduce frictional losses.

The FKERS technology could be so efficient that a traditional combustion engine may be switched off for up to half the duration of a journey, depending on the circumstances. "The flywheel's stored energy is sufficient to power the car for short periods," explained Crabb.

"However, this has a major impact on fuel consumption. Our calculations indicate that the combustion engine will be able to be turned off about half the time when driving according to the official New European Driving Cycle."

The Swedish Energy Agency has thrown in 6.57 million Swedish kronor, roughly A$1million, to help fund the project.

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