Apparently, the problems that BMW Sauber had with its Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) are completely correctable. The racing team also believes that its mechanics and drivers were never in any real danger despite the high voltage system carried by the Formula 1 car. It seems that there was some sort of discharge due to a faulty controller. Whoops! The mechanic was thrown to the ground after touching both the carbon chassis and steering wheel of the race car. Why then, you may wonder, was the driver not harmed? BMW believes that Christian Klien was protected by his racing suit and gloves.

The problem was difficult to trace due to the controller's sporadic failure... sometimes it worked, sometimes, well, not so much. Fortunately, the lengthy period BMW spent searching for the problem will result in a much safer system and the team plans to begin testing again in the autumn. For the 2009 season, the entire roster will be racing with the KERS hybrid systems installed.

[Source: F1-Live]

In recent weeks there have been several safety related incidents during the development and testing of the new kinetic energy recovery systems (KERS) that will be rolled out in Formula 1 in 2009. Teams are working along two different development paths with some pursuing a mechanical flywheel based system while others work on an battery based electric hybrid setup. Both configurations have potential safety issues, but Mike Gascoyne, Technical Director of the Force India team believes all of those concerns will be resolved in time. To Gascoyne, these are just engineering challenges and the engineers will find a way to resolve them. He doesn't see the problem of batteries or the potential for disintegrating flywheels as much different from safe handling of liquid fuels at 200 mph. Through the remainder of this year teams will be stressing batteries and flywheels to their limits to the find the weaknesses and fix them. Nonetheless, its possible that some teams may opt not to run the new systems right from the start of the 2009 if they don't feel that there is enough performance improvement to counter the extra weight.

[Source: F1-Live]

Although BMW's Formula 1 team has had its fair share of troubles getting the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) to work properly, those minor setbacks may not be enough to stop the Bavarian automaker from using a similar system for its line of high performance M Division vehicles. The sophisticated hybrid system uses a high-speed flywheel to store energy which would otherwise be lost while braking which is then fed back into the driveline when the vehicle next needs to speed up. Besides being more efficient than battery storage, the KERS system is significantly lighter, coming in at just fifty-five pounds in racing configuration. On a production car, the KERS system could be combined with a much smaller battery and electric motor for true full-hybrid operation.

If these rumors hold true, the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile's (FIA) goal of letting racing perform the research and development for new car technology would be achieved. We'll just need to wait and see how effective the innovative hybrid system proves in Formula 1 before making any judgements.

[Source: Auto Motor und Sport - translated]

Toyota may have lead the way to mass-market hybrid vehicles with its Prius, but that institutional knowledge is apparently not helping it on the Formula One circuit. While Toyota reportedly spends more money on its F1 program than any other team (and perhaps several small countries) it has yet to win a race after 6 years of trying and now they seem to be behind in developing a hybrid system for the racers. Starting in 2009, F1 teams will be able to use a kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) to provide regenerative braking and an on demand performance boost. Toyota F1 boss John Howett has told AutoSport magazine in Britain that his team are unlikely to be ready to run its KERS system from the beginning of the 2009 season. Toyota are not the only team having issues with the development, Red Bull and BMW have both had testing incidents with KERS. F1 teams will have to learn to deal with high voltage batteries and also ensure that they can actually gain performance even with the added weight and complexity.

[Source: AutoSport]

FIA President Max Mosely has sent a letter to Formula One teams outlining the plans for phasing in hybrid systems in the sport. Beginning in 2009, the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) will be integrated into the transmissions of F1 cars. The KERS is a mechanical system that captures kinetic energy during vehicle deceleration using a flywheel mechanism. Unlike production vehicle hybrids that convert kinetic energy to electrical energy and store it in a battery, the KERS is far more compact and lighter, adding only about 55lbs to the car. The amount of energy that can be stored is limited but for this type of application it is actually useful since the cars are constantly accelerating and decelerating from corner to corner.

The FIA will phase in the use of KERS over the next four years in conjunction with other changes to reduce the size and output of the engines. A selectable power boost button on the steering wheel will allow the drivers to decide when to use the stored energy for a quick boost in power. New rules that are expected to be enacted for 2013 will replace the current 2.4L V-8 engines with even smaller turbocharged engines.

[Source: F1-Live]