Zetsche doubts KERS counts

Mercedes-Benz Cars boss, Dr Dieter Zetsche, has poured water on suggestions that F1's new Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS) will yield any substantial benefits for carmakers or consumers.

According to Zetsche, while the F1 designers and engineers may learn from car makers' hybrid experience, the likelihood KERS will generate any realistic benefits back the other way are remote.

"I do believe that what we know about hybrids from production cars is partially applicable to what we do for Formula 1. The likelihood that we can build a significant incremental know-how from KERS to be applied to the production side, I don't see much higher than in the other areas of technology we're pursuing with Formula 1," Zetsche told the Australian auto media in Sydney last week.

Formula 1 rules allow the use of the power boosting systems from next season (2009). In simple terms, the KERS generate electrical power under braking, which is stored and then used to boost the cars' power for acceleration or passing. They are part of a package of changes the world's premier racing class is incorporating for the new season intended to demonstrate F1 is in touch with the environmental pressures affecting the automotive industry.
 
"It's a very, very different requirement starting with the fact that you have to run [such systems] for some hundred kilometres rather than some hundred thousand kilometres and some other elements as well," the one-time offroad development and research engineer explained.

"I know that from a public policies point of view, a different statement would be more eloquent, but I typically tend to be realistic and open.

"I think it's good for Formula 1 to go that path, and we're doing it and we will be competitive, [but] I don't expect that after that [experience] we would be a totally different company on the production side," he opined.

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