Friday, July 17, 2009

"KERS 101--Zytek at Lime Rock"
KERS is the shorthand familiar to Formula One fans for kinetic energy recovery system. The Zytek KERS system used on Steve Pruitt's Corsa Zytek Prototype uses an electric motor that is connected to the car's rear axle through the gear box. When the brakes are applied, and kinetic energy is used to slow the car, a KERS motor turns counterclockwise, which helps the braking and at the same time, generates electricity. That electricity is sent to a lithium-ion battery. When the car needs better fuel economy or a boost of power, the battery will release 140 volts of DC to an inverter, which converts the DC to AC (what you get from your house outlets), which drives the KERS motor in the opposite direction, serving as a motor to power the car.
Team owner Steve Pruitt says the Corsa Zytek can operate by itself on traction batteries, the 4.5 liter E10 powered V8, or a combination of both. The scenario of running on electric during pit stops is exactly what they hope to do. As I write this, the Corsa team is trying to fix a balky wiring harness, which is necessary for the E10 V8 to function. Could it run on batteries in race condition? If the harness is fixed, theoretically , yes. Operationally, the amount of electric power made by the battery is in proportion to its capacity to accept, store and deliver electricity.
Pruitt greenlighted the project when oil was $140/barrel.
More later.

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