xcel
08-08-2008, 06:29 PM
They say racing improves the breed, but will “KERS” proposed for Formula One next year have any influence on road cars? (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/main.jhtml?xml=/motoring/2008/08/09/mfkers109.xml)
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/BMW_Mechanic_shocked_by_KERS_sytem_at_Jerez.jpgFranca Davenport - UK Telegraph - Aug. 8, 2008
Future shock: a BMW F1 mechanic was injured during KERS testing at Jerez.
KERS -- An inexpensive hybrid promise for the regular car… F1 may be pushing too far however? -- Ed.
Imagine for a moment that Telegraph Motoring decided to run a spot-the-difference competition between a Formula One car and a road car. Even the least mechanically minded of us would surely circle enough differences to make the paper resemble the doodlings of an Olympic logo designer.
Not long after the internal combustion engine first chugged its way out of the primordial oil, the racing car began to evolve into a different species from its road-going counterpart. Following basic Darwinian principles, the F1 car adapted to its environment: one that requires high speed, huge acceleration and deceleration and little concern for anything else, with the recent exception of accident survival. However, thanks to the current motorsport regulators, wider environmental issues are already having an impact on F1 car design.
From next year the governing Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) is allowing the optional use of Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS) in F1. The idea is not only to make the sport more eco-friendly, but more road-relevant. However, just as several different technical solutions are emerging from the rather woolly KERS remit, there are several interpretations of "road-relevancy".
Some are more enthusiastic than others. Nick Fry, CEO of Honda F1, describes KERS as a godsend. "From a manufacturer's point of view, F1 has to be the pinnacle of technology," he says. "Without something like KERS, we'd be dinosaurs." Fry believes that the KERS could help make Honda's road-going hybrid systems lighter, smaller and more power-dense, but sees the greatest benefit in the development of engineering expertise. "When people say it can't be relevant because the cars are so different, they're missing the point. It's all about training engineers and the development of long-term intellectual property… http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/main.jhtml?xml=/motoring/2008/08/09/mfkers109.xml
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/BMW_Mechanic_shocked_by_KERS_sytem_at_Jerez.jpgFranca Davenport - UK Telegraph - Aug. 8, 2008
Future shock: a BMW F1 mechanic was injured during KERS testing at Jerez.
KERS -- An inexpensive hybrid promise for the regular car… F1 may be pushing too far however? -- Ed.
Imagine for a moment that Telegraph Motoring decided to run a spot-the-difference competition between a Formula One car and a road car. Even the least mechanically minded of us would surely circle enough differences to make the paper resemble the doodlings of an Olympic logo designer.
Not long after the internal combustion engine first chugged its way out of the primordial oil, the racing car began to evolve into a different species from its road-going counterpart. Following basic Darwinian principles, the F1 car adapted to its environment: one that requires high speed, huge acceleration and deceleration and little concern for anything else, with the recent exception of accident survival. However, thanks to the current motorsport regulators, wider environmental issues are already having an impact on F1 car design.
From next year the governing Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) is allowing the optional use of Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS) in F1. The idea is not only to make the sport more eco-friendly, but more road-relevant. However, just as several different technical solutions are emerging from the rather woolly KERS remit, there are several interpretations of "road-relevancy".
Some are more enthusiastic than others. Nick Fry, CEO of Honda F1, describes KERS as a godsend. "From a manufacturer's point of view, F1 has to be the pinnacle of technology," he says. "Without something like KERS, we'd be dinosaurs." Fry believes that the KERS could help make Honda's road-going hybrid systems lighter, smaller and more power-dense, but sees the greatest benefit in the development of engineering expertise. "When people say it can't be relevant because the cars are so different, they're missing the point. It's all about training engineers and the development of long-term intellectual property… http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/main.jhtml?xml=/motoring/2008/08/09/mfkers109.xml