EV-like Regenerative Braking for Gasoline/Diesel Engines

Jaguar has acquired the Tototrak system for hybrid recapture of the kinetic energy lost during braking to re-use it.

It's works in a similar way that regenerative braking works in a hybrid-electric or all-electric vehicle, in which the motor reverses to become a generator, sending power back to the batteries while slowing the vehicle, this system stores the energy used to slow the vehicle to be later released by the transmission into the power train for acceleration.

Torotrak developed the KERS hybrid system being used in Formula 1 racing and has joined up with Jaguar Land Rover to do the same for their vehicle transmissions.

In Torotrak's KERS system, the captured kinetic energy from slowing/braking is stored in a small flywheel in the transmission. This flywheel spins at up to 64,000 RPM and, when the vehicle speeds back up (accelerates), this energy is sent back into the drive train, reducing the load on the engine.

This is a really cool idea that I'm surprised hasn't been used before this. It seems very similar to what late-model steam locomotives used to use for their power boosting to accelerate from a stop. The difference here being that the kinetic energy from Torotrak's system is from braking, whereas the steam engines used idle engine time to wind the flywheel.

You can read more about this at Autocar by clicking here.