FLYWHEEL ENERGY STORAGE AS VEHICLE PROPULSION SYSTEM

SCHWUNGRADSPEICHER ALS ANTRIEBSELEMENT FUER KRAFTFAHRZEUGE

Current motor vehicles with combustion engines normally use a flywheel to smoothen speed variations of the engine. In this case storage and release of the kinetic energy takes place in very short time intervals, during about one revolution. To use a flywheel as the only drive of a motor vehicle, its storage capacity has to be increased by several orders of magnitude. This could be achieved in principle by means of advanced materials (e.g. fibre composite materials) or special design (e.g. super flywheel). In practice however the treatment of airlosses, gyroscope effect and safety problems, which lead to technical solutions, such as evacuated chambers or cardan joints, results in specific power values well below the necessary limit. Therefore the further development of the flywheel concept as the only drive of a motor vehicle seems not to be very promising. On the contrary the use of a flywheel as a component of the drive system proves to be an advantageous solution, which makes a direct exchange of kinetic energy between vehicle and flywheel possible. This has been demonstrated by means of a prototype hybrid drive system with flywheel, built into a production vehicle. /Author/TRRL/

• Corporate Authors:

  International Federation of Auto Techniques Engs

  3 Avenue du President Wilson
  F 75116 Paris,   France 
• Authors:
  • BIERMANN, J W
  • HELLING, J
  • Schreck, H
• Publication Date: 0

Language

• German

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: 4 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automotive engineering; Conferences; Energy; Flywheels; Gyroscopes; Handling and storage; Internal combustion engines; Propulsion; Rotation; Safety; Storage facilities; Vehicle design; Vehicle power plants; Wheels
• Uncontrolled Terms: Hybrids; Propulsion systems
• ITRD Terms: 8525: Conference; 213: Energy; 3873: Propulsion; 6406: Rotation; 9137: Storage; 1372: Wheel
• Subject Areas: Design; Energy; Freight Transportation; Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Terminals and Facilities; Vehicles and Equipment; I91: Vehicle Design and Safety;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00165658
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL)
• Report/Paper Numbers: Analytic
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 14 1978 12:00AM