Williams Hybrid Power Launched

Posted on Monday 28 Apr 2008 and tagged with energy.

Oxford, UK, 28 April 2008. Williams F1 today announced that ithas acquired a minority shareholding in Automotive Hybrid PowerLimited, a company developing high-energy composite flywheels for usein energy recovery systems. AHP has relocated from Norwich to Williams’headquarters outside Oxford, UK and has been renamed Williams HybridPower Limited.

Williams Hybrid Power Limited is developing a flywheel for potentialuse as the energy storage element of Williams’ kinetic energy recoverysystems (KERS), a technology that will be allowed by regulation inFormula One next year.

This technology stores kinetic energy generatedunder braking that would otherwise be dissipated. Williams is exploringa number of energy storage options. The Williams Hybrid Power system isbased on a flywheel rotating at speeds of up to 100,000rpm that wouldcapture this energy for later release. The competitive rigour ofFormula One requires quickly deployable solutions to technicalproblems, as well as ensuring any such solutions are lightweight,robust and high performance. Williams Hybrid Power hopes to build onthe Formula One experience to transfer its technology to other types ofvehicle.

Patrick Head, Williams F1’s Director of Engineering, said, “High-energyflywheel technology is a challenging field of engineering. We fullysupport the FIA’s positive initiative in energy recovery systems whichwe hope will allow Formula One to make some contribution to thedevelopment of an environmentally beneficial technology that could helpto reduce the carbon emissions of vehicles.”

Ian Foley, Williams Hybrid Power’s Managing Director said, “As AHP, wehad begun to develop our own advanced flywheel technology forapplication in vehicles. As Williams Hybrid Power, we will make use ofthe higher profile and Formula One development programme to acceleratedevelopment and bring it to market more quickly.”