Jaguar testing a flywheel hybrid system in a XF
Working with a handful of British engineering specialists, Jaguar is testing a flywheel hybrid XF that promises an 80-hp increase and up to a 20 percent improvement in fuel-economy. The project, know has FHSPV (Flywheel Hybrid System for Premium Vehicles), includes a £2.2m investment by the government”s Technology Strategy Board.
“The FHSPV is really an engineering due diligence exercise,” says the project”s engineer Daniel Loftus. “We need to look at mechanical flywheels and see how they compare with electric hybrids. And then see if they have a production future.”
The flywheels hybrid system is driven through a CVT gearbox and spins at up to 60,000 rpm to store the equivalent of 80-hp. A computer controls the flow of power to the flywheel, which spins and delivers a boost during travel. Jaguar engineers are testing the system in a stop-start city mode and have already recorded fuel savings of 20 percent. The complete system weighs in at 143 lbs, half the weight of a comparative hybrid system.
An increase in horsepower and an improvement in fuel-economy is never a bad combination.
– By: Omar Rana
Source: AutoCar
