Kinetic Energy Recovery System (Reader Response Draft 3)

To promote the development of road car-relevant technologies that are sustainable, the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) was introduced to Formula 1 (F1) racing in 2009, later becoming more prominent and used by all racing teams after 2011 (Abidi, 2022). Angadi (2023) states that when a car brakes, the kinetic energy that is lost as heat is harvested into electrical energy and stored in the battery for later deployment. The stored energy can then be used to boost the car by giving extra power to the engine for up to 60kW and releasing energy for up to 400kJ a lap, as governed by the regulations (Racecar Engineering, 2009). Motorsports aside, KERS is also present in road cars, such as the Volvo XC90. As compared to a petrol-electric hybrid system, a mechanical KERS is more compact and lightweight and it has a fuel efficiency that is similar to a hybrid, decreasing consumption by up to 25 percent (Jones, 2014).

KERS incorporates an innovative approach to vehicular efficiency, harvesting kinetic energy through regenerative braking and repurposing it to boost performance, reducing fuel consumption and in turn decreasing carbon emissions, mitigating the environmental impacts.

The electrical KERS system reduces carbon emissions in motorsports like Formula 1, by using renewable energy to boost the performance of the cars. According to Angadi (2023), the electrical KERS system stores the generated electrical energy in a battery, which is commonly found in Formula 1 cars. This system uses an electric generator, called the Motor Generating Unit-Kinetic (MGU-K), which harvests the heat energy that results from braking and converts it into electrical energy. The racing driver can then press the 'overtake' button on their steering wheel to deploy the stored energy, similar to nitrous systems in racing video games. This promotes a more competitive and strategic racing, without compromising the state of the environment.

The mechanical KERS system, which uses a flywheel instead of a battery, enhances the performance of a car while also reducing its fuel consumption. Volvo Car Group tested the flywheel KERS on a Volvo S60 and found that it has the potential to reduce fuel consumption by up to 25% when paired with a four-cylinder turbo engine, with performance levels that are similar to a six-cylinder engine. This gave the car an additional power of 80 horsepower, accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.5 seconds. The flywheel mechanism which is located at the rear axle of the car, spins up to 60,000 rpm due to the energy produced under braking. When the car starts moving again, the energy transfers from the flywheel to the rear wheels through a specially designed transmission (Green Car Congress, 2013). This is particularly beneficial in a stop-and-go traffic situation, when the road is heavily congested and we are moving slowly, periodically stopping.

KERS lowers the maintenance costs of a vehicle. Mathews and Nishanth (2013) states that KERS causes minimal brake wear.  During retardation, energy migrates from the driveline to the KERS. The flywheel works like a brake in itself when it gains energy, slowing down the vehicle and recovering the energy instead of releasing it as heat. Hence, consumers will not have to spend extra money replacing or fixing their brakes, as there is not as much brake wear compared to cars without KERS.

Despite the positive impacts that KERS has on the environment, it still brings about drawbacks in other factors. Slightly contradictory to its name, KERS does not recover energy continuously, but rather in short periods when the car is braking (Gabriel-Buenaventura & Azzopardi, 2015). Hence, the full potential of KERS is only realized under certain driving conditions. It may not be favorable in expressways as most of the time the car is moving. However, it is more useful when driving in urban areas or cities, especially in Singapore, where the roads consist of many traffic lights and are often congested during peak hours.

All in all, KERS is the pinnacle of automotive engineering. It revolutionizes travel and sustainability, using renewable energy by harvesting the energy lost from braking to get the car moving. It has revolutionized the way of racing in motorsports, giving teams an opportunity to keep up with each other and push their cars to the limit with lesser carbon emissions. While road cars with KERS may be costly, they are still a good investment as it provides more power and better fuel efficiency, allowing the consumer to save more money on fuel. Such technology is what keeps the automotive industry moving forward, be it on the race track or on the road.

References

Abidi, Y. (2022, December 19). How Does the KERS System in F1 Cars Work? Make Use Of. https://www.makeuseof.com/how-the-kers-system-in-f1-works/

Angadi, D. (2023, April 15). Is KERS still used in F1? Exploring its uses, how it works, and more. Sportskeeda. https://www.sportskeeda.com/f1/is-kers-still-used-f1-exploring-uses-works

Green Car Congress. (2013, April 25). Volvo Cars’ tests of flywheel technology confirm fuel savings of up to 25%. https://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/04/kers-20130425.html

Jones, M. (2014, March 25). Why we need cars with KERS. Top Gear. https://www.topgear.com/car-news/future-tech/why-we-need-cars-kers

Mathews, T., & Nishanth, D. (2013). Flywheel based kinetic energy recovery systems (KERS) integrated in vehicles. International journal of engineering science and technology, 5(9), 1694. https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?repid=rep1&type=pdf&doi=dcbc4f4f0a17fb0246dae16973409fa4d15c823e

Racecar Engineering. (2009, April 14). The basics of F1 KERS. https://www.racecar-engineering.com/articles/the-basics-of-f1-kers/

Gabriel-Buenaventura, A., & Azzopardi, B. (2015). Energy recovery systems for retrofitting in internal combustion engine vehicles: A review of techniques. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 41, 955-964. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2014.08.083