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I read an interesting article on RS6.com and thought that I would share. It seems as though this new and improved gearbox could be the greatest thing to hit the automotive industry in years! Apparently many large manufacturers have been testing the technology for a couple of years already and the results are amazing. In short, the energy a car wastes during braking is stored and than used again when needed...basically, in stop and go traffic, any vehicle using this technology will use a fraction of the fuel it used to because of the stored energy.
It's a little long, but worth the read...
It's a little long, but worth the read...
Torotrak PLC
05 June 2007
Torotrak and Xtrac transmission expertise will help F1 teams develop new, highly
efficient, mechanical kinetic energy recovery systems ... technology also
applicable to road cars
5 June 2007
Toroidal traction drive specialist Torotrak plc and vehicle transmission design
and manufacturing company Xtrac Ltd are pleased to announce that on 4 June 2007
they entered into a licence agreement to enable Xtrac to develop highly
efficient and compact continuously variable transmissions (CVTs) for use in the
new kinetic energy recovery systems (KERS) proposed for Formula One ('F1') motor
racing.
In 2009, F1 is introducing new rules that will lower the environmental impact of
the sport. Part of this is to recover deceleration energy that can be stored for
acceleration. Xtrac will exploit Torotrak's full-toroidal traction drive
technology for use in kinetic energy recovery systems within the motorsport
industry, to assist its customers in meeting these new obligations.
Commenting on the co-operation between the two companies, Peter Digby, managing
director of Xtrac, said: 'The transfer of world-class transmission technology
from Torotrak, combined with the added value of Xtrac's expertise in the design
and manufacture of transmissions for motorsport - and with clear potential to
feed the resulting technical solution back into mainstream automotive use - is a
good example of what I believe FIA President Max Mosley had in mind when he
announced that Formula One should embrace an energy efficient future and open up
the world of motorsport to new manufacturers'.
Dick Elsy, Chief Executive at Torotrak, added: 'We are delighted to be working
with Xtrac on this exciting new application of our transmission technology, to
provide a highly efficient KERS solution for initial application in motorsport,
but with a clear opportunity to apply the system in mainstream road cars to
provide performance, economy and greenhouse gas emission benefits.'
Background
Some of the new KERS systems under development will be mechanically based and
will utilise a flywheel to recuperate, store and subsequently discharge a moving
vehicle's kinetic energy, which is otherwise wasted when the vehicle is
decelerated. The kinetic energy is stored during a braking manoeuvre and is then
released back into the driveline as the vehicle accelerates.
The toroidal traction drive variator, being developed with Torotrak and using
Torotrak's patented technology, is a central element in these mechanical
flywheel-variator KERS systems as it provides a continuously variable ratio
connection between the flywheel and the vehicle driveline, via the vehicle's
gearbox. Torotrak has granted a licence to Xtrac to design, manufacture,
assemble and distribute components or complete variator systems, which
incorporate Torotrak's technology, to its F1 customers.
The innovative combination of a Torotrak variator - providing mechanical
efficiency that should be in excess of 90 per cent - with a flywheel of advanced
construction, results in a highly efficient and compact energy storage system.
Whilst Xtrac will supply variator units to its customers, the flywheels for
these energy recovery systems are being developed separately by the Formula 1
teams themselves and their specialist suppliers. Torotrak will provide the
control system expertise.
Torotrak and Xtrac believe that the variator-flywheel solution provides a
significantly more compact, efficient, lighter and environmentally-friendly
solution than the traditional alternative of electrical-battery systems.
'The variator weighs less than 5kg in these applications and provides a high
level of mechanical efficiency, enabling the overall mass of the mechanical KERS
systems to be minimised,' says Chris Greenwood, technology director at Torotrak.
'This mechanical efficiency, combined with the variator's ability to change
ratio very rapidly, helps to optimise flywheel performance.'
The two companies consider that the system is applicable to other motor sports
and everyday vehicles and see the potential for wider applications -
particularly on high-performance road cars - as an aid to performance and also
as a means of developing future products with reduced CO2 emission levels.
The system supports the current trend in powertrain design for engine
downsizing, by providing a means of boosting acceleration, overall performance
and economy independently of the vehicle's engine and without the need for
complex electrical-battery hybrid architectures.
A CVT-controlled flywheel is particularly suited to stop-start driving
situations when real-world fuel economy is often at its worst. In these
conditions, the variator-flywheel system can assist the launch of a vehicle
which has slowed down or come to a standstill, by utilising the kinetic energy
stored in the flywheel. In heavily congested traffic, where a car is frequently
stopped and restarted, the system can help alleviate the heavy fuel consumption
and emissions of greenhouse gasses normally associated with these conditions.
For the F1 applications, the stored kinetic energy can be applied by the driver
on demand whenever required - at a rate and for a time period set by the
regulations - to boost performance for rapid acceleration. The device is
particularly beneficial when exiting corners or for tricky overtaking
manoeuvres.
'The mechanical efficiency, compactness and mass of the variator system is
critical since it directly influences the size and the ability to package such
as system into an F1 car, or into a road vehicle,' says Adrian Moore, technical
director at Xtrac. 'The size, torque capacity and response of the unit is
critical to take the full advantage of having a flywheel KERS system.'
05 June 2007
Torotrak and Xtrac transmission expertise will help F1 teams develop new, highly
efficient, mechanical kinetic energy recovery systems ... technology also
applicable to road cars
5 June 2007
Toroidal traction drive specialist Torotrak plc and vehicle transmission design
and manufacturing company Xtrac Ltd are pleased to announce that on 4 June 2007
they entered into a licence agreement to enable Xtrac to develop highly
efficient and compact continuously variable transmissions (CVTs) for use in the
new kinetic energy recovery systems (KERS) proposed for Formula One ('F1') motor
racing.
In 2009, F1 is introducing new rules that will lower the environmental impact of
the sport. Part of this is to recover deceleration energy that can be stored for
acceleration. Xtrac will exploit Torotrak's full-toroidal traction drive
technology for use in kinetic energy recovery systems within the motorsport
industry, to assist its customers in meeting these new obligations.
Commenting on the co-operation between the two companies, Peter Digby, managing
director of Xtrac, said: 'The transfer of world-class transmission technology
from Torotrak, combined with the added value of Xtrac's expertise in the design
and manufacture of transmissions for motorsport - and with clear potential to
feed the resulting technical solution back into mainstream automotive use - is a
good example of what I believe FIA President Max Mosley had in mind when he
announced that Formula One should embrace an energy efficient future and open up
the world of motorsport to new manufacturers'.
Dick Elsy, Chief Executive at Torotrak, added: 'We are delighted to be working
with Xtrac on this exciting new application of our transmission technology, to
provide a highly efficient KERS solution for initial application in motorsport,
but with a clear opportunity to apply the system in mainstream road cars to
provide performance, economy and greenhouse gas emission benefits.'
Background
Some of the new KERS systems under development will be mechanically based and
will utilise a flywheel to recuperate, store and subsequently discharge a moving
vehicle's kinetic energy, which is otherwise wasted when the vehicle is
decelerated. The kinetic energy is stored during a braking manoeuvre and is then
released back into the driveline as the vehicle accelerates.
The toroidal traction drive variator, being developed with Torotrak and using
Torotrak's patented technology, is a central element in these mechanical
flywheel-variator KERS systems as it provides a continuously variable ratio
connection between the flywheel and the vehicle driveline, via the vehicle's
gearbox. Torotrak has granted a licence to Xtrac to design, manufacture,
assemble and distribute components or complete variator systems, which
incorporate Torotrak's technology, to its F1 customers.
The innovative combination of a Torotrak variator - providing mechanical
efficiency that should be in excess of 90 per cent - with a flywheel of advanced
construction, results in a highly efficient and compact energy storage system.
Whilst Xtrac will supply variator units to its customers, the flywheels for
these energy recovery systems are being developed separately by the Formula 1
teams themselves and their specialist suppliers. Torotrak will provide the
control system expertise.
Torotrak and Xtrac believe that the variator-flywheel solution provides a
significantly more compact, efficient, lighter and environmentally-friendly
solution than the traditional alternative of electrical-battery systems.
'The variator weighs less than 5kg in these applications and provides a high
level of mechanical efficiency, enabling the overall mass of the mechanical KERS
systems to be minimised,' says Chris Greenwood, technology director at Torotrak.
'This mechanical efficiency, combined with the variator's ability to change
ratio very rapidly, helps to optimise flywheel performance.'
The two companies consider that the system is applicable to other motor sports
and everyday vehicles and see the potential for wider applications -
particularly on high-performance road cars - as an aid to performance and also
as a means of developing future products with reduced CO2 emission levels.
The system supports the current trend in powertrain design for engine
downsizing, by providing a means of boosting acceleration, overall performance
and economy independently of the vehicle's engine and without the need for
complex electrical-battery hybrid architectures.
A CVT-controlled flywheel is particularly suited to stop-start driving
situations when real-world fuel economy is often at its worst. In these
conditions, the variator-flywheel system can assist the launch of a vehicle
which has slowed down or come to a standstill, by utilising the kinetic energy
stored in the flywheel. In heavily congested traffic, where a car is frequently
stopped and restarted, the system can help alleviate the heavy fuel consumption
and emissions of greenhouse gasses normally associated with these conditions.
For the F1 applications, the stored kinetic energy can be applied by the driver
on demand whenever required - at a rate and for a time period set by the
regulations - to boost performance for rapid acceleration. The device is
particularly beneficial when exiting corners or for tricky overtaking
manoeuvres.
'The mechanical efficiency, compactness and mass of the variator system is
critical since it directly influences the size and the ability to package such
as system into an F1 car, or into a road vehicle,' says Adrian Moore, technical
director at Xtrac. 'The size, torque capacity and response of the unit is
critical to take the full advantage of having a flywheel KERS system.'
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