A flywheel-based hybrid system for cars ditches the troublesome vacuum seal that has kept earlier versions expensive and unreliable. Current flywheel hybrids—which store energy in a spinning rotor rather than a battery—need a vacuum around the flywheel to reduce air drag. But the rotating shaft must pass through a seal to connect to the drivetrain, and that seal leaks, requiring costly vacuum pumps and maintenance. The Kinergy concept seals the entire flywheel inside a permanent vacuum chamber and transmits power across the wall using magnetic coupling, eliminating the shaft and seal entirely. If the system works at scale, it could cut fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions by 30% for an added cost of under £1,000 per vehicle—a price point that could push hybrid technology into the mass market rather than remaining a premium option. The consortium plans to build and test integrated units on a rig, validate one in a vehicle, and produce case studies for four other applications. The UK already leads in the underlying technologies, which were first developed for motorsport.
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Kinergy delivers a hybridisation system with potential for 30% fuel/C02 saving at an on-cost of below £1000, which will strongly accelerate the mass-market uptake of hybrid vehicles. The program deploys technologies in which the UK has leadership, based on a first generation derived from motorsport. First generation flywheel-hybrids suffer from risks and issues associated wilh the vacuum seal on the high Speed flywheel shaft, and need expensive and energy-consuming vacuum equipment as a result. The Kinergy concept eliminates this problem by replacing the driveshaft and seal wilh a hermetically sealed vacuum chamber and magnetic coupling to transmit drive. This solution reduces engineering costs and operating costs, and has generated great interest globally in road transport and other sectors. Enabled by the hermetic concept, the project develops innovation in key subsystem technologies in the areas of flywheel design, bearings, magnetic couplings / gearing and power transmission, wilh the objectives of cost reduction, manufacturing compatibility and ultra-high efficiency. These innovations will be realised in integrated units with magnetic/mechanical and electromagnelic outputs through a comprehensive program of rig research. Further validation is delivered in one vehicle plus case studies for four further key applications. The program will be delivered by a consortium of the UK's strongest players at component and system level, who have proven track records in their areas of expertise
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