Volvo Flywheel KERS Explained on Film

Last week, Swedish manufacturer Volvo announced that it plans to revolutionize the world with the introduction of a technology called flywheel KERS. In the simplest of words, a flywheel that captures the energy generated during braking and then sends it back into the car whenever needed.

The system is currently under development at Volvo, and might take a few years before it becomes viable enough to integrate into the vehicles themselves. But the idea behind it, as well as the fact that the technology can bring a significant gain in power and a significant reduction in fuel consumption, are revolutionary. And it's all on film, featured in the video below.

According to Volvo, the flywheel KERS is to be fitted onto the rear axle of the car, and it can capture the energy by spinning at up to 60,000 revs per minute during retardation. Once the driver stopped braking and the car starts moving again, the flywheel sends the captured energy to the rear wheels via a specially designed transmission.

The internal combustion engine is turned off during the entire braking process, making the energy generated by braking enough to get the car moving again without it.

"If the tests and technical development go as planned, we expect cars with flywheel technology to reach the showrooms within a few years. Flywheel technology is relatively cheap,” said Derek Crabb, Volvo Powertrain Engineering vice president.

“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."