If you’re a fan of Formula One racing, then you’ll be used to hearing the term KERS. It stands for Kinetic Energy Recovery System, and it allows the recovery of energy under braking, which is then stored and used at a later time.
In Formula One, KERS is used to increase the speed of the cars for short periods of time, and typically allows them to go between 10-13mph faster in short bursts. But the same system can be used to help improve the economy of modern road vehicles, too.
The problem with KERS systems in the past is they were very heavy due to the fact they were made out of steel, but Volvo has developed a new Flywheel KERS system that is manufactured using the much lighter carbon fiber. Another advantage of using carbon fiber is that the flywheel can rotate faster, in this case up to 60,000 rpm, allowing for much higher energy storage.
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