Kinetic energy recovery system

Kinetic energy recovery system
Geni · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Name	Kinetic energy recovery system

Kinetic energy recovery system Kinetic energy recovery system devices capture and store motion-derived energy during deceleration for later reuse in propulsion. These systems integrate mechanical, electrical, and thermal components to improve efficiency in transport and industrial machinery, influencing developments in Toyota Motor Corporation, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, Red Bull Racing, and Honda Motor Company. Their deployment spans contexts from Formula One racing to urban transit systems managed by Transport for London and industrial installations at companies like Siemens and General Electric.

Overview

Kinetic energy recovery system units convert kinetic energy into stored energy via mechanisms such as flywheels, batteries, supercapacitors, or hydraulic accumulators, linking innovations from Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., BMW, Audi, Porsche AG, and Volvo Cars. Integration requires power electronics designed by firms like Bosch, Continental AG, Denso Corporation, Magneti Marelli, and Hitachi. Control strategies reference research from institutions such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Imperial College London, Stanford University, ETH Zurich, and Tsinghua University. Applications intersect with standards set by International Electrotechnical Commission, Society of Automotive Engineers, European Commission, U.S. Department of Energy, and United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.

History and development

Early mechanical energy recovery concepts trace to inventors and firms including James Watt, George Stephenson, Siemens AG, Westinghouse Electric Company, General Motors, and Ford Motor Company. Mid-20th-century research at MIT, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Fraunhofer Society, and CEA (France) advanced flywheel and regenerative braking technologies used by Bombardier, Alstom, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Motorsport-driven development emerged with contributions from Williams Grand Prix Engineering, McLaren Technology Group, Ferrari, Renault, and BMW Sauber F1 Team, accelerating adoption in Formula One and endurance racing at events like the 24 Hours of Le Mans and series such as the World Endurance Championship. Government-funded programs from DARPA, European Commission Horizon 2020, Japan Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and United States Department of Transportation funded commercialization by Tesla, Inc., Nissan, and Toyota.

Types and technologies

Flywheel-based systems developed by companies such as Flybrid, Beacon Power, GKN, and Energy Storage Systems use high-strength composites from suppliers like Toray Industries and Mitsubishi Chemical. Electrochemical battery-based recuperators leverage lithium-ion chemistry from Panasonic Corporation, LG Chem, Samsung SDI, and SK Innovation. Supercapacitor solutions were commercialized by Maxwell Technologies, Skeleton Technologies, and Elentis Energy. Hydraulic accumulators implemented by Bosch Rexroth, Parker Hannifin, and Eaton Corporation serve heavy-vehicle markets including operators like Deutsche Bahn and Union Pacific Railroad. Power conversion involves semiconductor devices from Infineon Technologies, STMicroelectronics, Texas Instruments, and NXP Semiconductors; control algorithms reference models from University of Cambridge, ETH Zurich, Delft University of Technology, and Politecnico di Milano.

Applications

Transport applications include passenger cars by Toyota Motor Corporation, Honda Motor Company, Hyundai Motor Company, Ford Motor Company, and General Motors, commercial trucks from Daimler AG, Volvo Group, and MAN SE, and buses operated by MTA Regional Bus Operations and RATP Group. Rail and tram systems use KERS in fleets run by Deutsche Bahn, SNCF, Amtrak, and Transport for London with rolling stock manufacturers like Siemens Mobility and Alstom. Motorsport adoption appears in Formula One, IndyCar Series, NASCAR, and endurance racing teams such as Audi Sport and Porsche Motorsport. Non-transport uses include industrial cranes at Liebherr, renewable-energy smoothing with Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy and Vestas Wind Systems, and aerospace experiments by Rolls-Royce Holdings and Boeing.

Performance and efficiency considerations

Energy capture efficiency varies by technology: flywheels (high power density) feature companies like Flybrid and GKN and research from Imperial College London; batteries (high energy density) reference Panasonic Corporation and Toyota research; supercapacitors (high cycle life) cite Maxwell Technologies. System-level efficiency depends on vehicle architecture from Volkswagen Group, Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance, and Stellantis and on thermal management supplied by Denso Corporation and Mahle GmbH. Lifecycle analysis compares data from International Energy Agency, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, European Environment Agency, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Simulation and optimization tools originate from ANSYS, MATLAB (MathWorks), Siemens PLM Software, and Altair Engineering.

Safety, regulations, and standards

Safety protocols reference standards maintained by International Organization for Standardization, International Electrotechnical Commission, Society of Automotive Engineers, and regulatory frameworks from European Commission, U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and Japan Automobile Standards Internationalization Center. Testing laboratories include TÜV SÜD, SGS S.A., Intertek Group, and Bureau Veritas. Compliance with transport regulations affects manufacturers such as Toyota, Volkswagen, Daimler, and General Motors; motorsport governance by Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile shapes racing-spec systems. Safety engineering draws on research at National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA Ames Research Center, Sandia National Laboratories, and Argonne National Laboratory.

Environmental and economic impacts

Environmental assessments cite lifecycle studies by International Energy Agency, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, European Environment Agency, Carbon Trust, and World Resources Institute. Economic impacts influence automotive supply chains involving Magna International, Aptiv PLC, Faurecia, Lear Corporation, and Robert Bosch GmbH. Market dynamics reflect investments from SoftBank Group, BlackRock, Toyota Financial Services, and procurement by fleets operated by United Parcel Service and DHL. Policy incentives from European Green Deal, U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, China's Five-Year Plan, and Japan's Strategic Energy Plan affect adoption rates. Research collaborations include Fraunhofer Society, CEA, TNO, CSIRO, and National Research Council (Canada).

Category:Energy conversion