Flybrid Automotive Ltd., a small, innovative and privately-owned
company with a hand-picked team of engineers at Silverstone, UK, has been
working on flywheel-based kinetic energy recovery systems (KERS) for a few
years with leading vehicle- builders, including JaguarLandRover (JLR).
In the case of JLR, the
KERS has been linked to a continuously variable transmission (CVT) activated at
the rear axle. The work has proved particularly beneficial and is now being
extended. Initially commissioned to demonstrate fuel economy gains, the
technology, still using the same basic rear axle mounted flywheel and CVT, is
being directed towards enhancing vehicle performance.
However, at this juncture,
JLR does not appear to have a platform that is design-ready to accept a
flywheel-based KERS. In any case, Jaguar has a number of other vehicle programmes
it is anxious to bring to market more quickly.
