Jaguar working on the XF Flybrid hybrid vehicle
By Andrew, 17 Sep, 2010. 0 Comments
2010 Jaguar XF
According to the latest reports, it appears that Jaguar is currently working on the XF Flybrid, a flywheel hybrid that promises to deliver an extra 80 hp power boost and up to 20% better fuel economy. The vehicle made its debut this week at the week’s Low Carbon Vehicle event at Millbrook (UK) and according to sources, it was built using from British engineering specialists Flybrid Systems, Torotrak, Xtrac and Prodrive but also input from Ricardo.
The project dubbed FHSPV (Flywheel Hybrid System for Premium Vehicles) is funded by the government’s Technology Strategy Board. The car uses a composite flywheel which is driven through a Torotrak/Xtrac CVT gearbox which spins at up to 60,000rpm to store a peak of 60kW, or 80 hp. A computer controls the flow of power to the flywheel. Jaguar is also testing a city mode of the stop-start system, which will allow the flywheel to gather the lost energy in braking and then deliver it in the form of free power at start-up to save fuel.
Besides the better fuel economy, the system weighs only 65kg or half the weight of a standard hybrid vehicle. As expected the car was modified in order to carry the system and Jaguar had to cut away a quarter of the spare wheel well. The good news is that the system can be used on bigger and heavier vehicles, such as Land Rovers [via autocar]
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