Volvo to develop Flywheel hybrids                                                            1st June 2011

Volvo Car Corporation has announced its intention to develop flywheel hybrid cars for mass production and Flybrid Systems are delighted to confirm their involvement in this programme.

The Volvo system is unusual in featuring rear wheel connection on what is normally a front wheel drive car and this is achieved using a differential built into the flywheel KERS housing as shown in the picture below.

"Our aim is to develop a complete system for kinetic energy recovery. Tests in a Volvo car will get under way in the second half of 2011. This technology has the potential for reducing fuel consumption by up to 20 percent. What is more, it gives the driver an extra horsepower boost, giving a four-cylinder engine acceleration like a six-cylinder unit," relates Derek Crabb, Vice President VCC Powertrain Engineering.

He concludes: "The flywheel technology is relatively cheap. It can be used in a much larger volume of our cars than top-of-the-line technology such as the plug-in hybrid. This means that it has potential to play a major role in our CO2-cutting DRIVe Towards Zero strategy."

To view the official Volvo press release please click here.