I'm not sure if I'm being really thick, but I'm struggling to understand exactly what KERS is all about. I know it's not like a hybrid system, there are no batteries being charged and no electric motor to provide the extra boost, so what exactly does it do?

I don't understand the mechanical nature of it..........how does it store energy from braking and then reverse it back into the driveline all mechanically?

I'd be really grateful if someone could explain it in English!

i wondered the same thing then read this

kers-f1

The mechanical KERS system utilises flywheel technology developed by Flybrid Systems to recover and store a moving vehicle’s kinetic energy which is otherwise wasted when the vehicle is decelerated. The energy is received from the driveline through the Torotrak CVT, engineered and supplied by Xtrac, as the vehicle decelerates, and is subsequently released back into the driveline, again through the CVT, as the vehicle accelerates. The FIA has defined the amount of energy recovery for the 2009 season as 400kJ per lap giving the driver an extra 80hp over a period of 6.67 seconds.

“Compared to the alternative of electrical-battery systems, the mechanical KERS system provides a significantly more compact, efficient, lighter and environmentally-friendly solution.

“The components within each variator include an input disc and an opposing output disc. Each disc is formed so that the gap created between the discs is ‘doughnut’ shaped; that is, the toroidal surfaces on each disc form the toroidal cavity.

“Two or three rollers are located inside each toroidal cavity and are positioned so that the outer edge of each roller is in contact with the toroidal surfaces of the input disc and output disc.

“As the input disc rotates, power is transferred via the rollers to the output disc, which rotates in the opposite direction to the input disc.

“The angle of the roller determines the ratio of the Variator and therefore a change in the angle of the roller results in a change in the ratio. So, with the roller at a small radius (near the centre) on the input disc and at a large radius (near the edge) on the output disc the Variator produces a ‘low’ ratio. Moving the roller across the discs to a large radius at the input disc and corresponding low radius at the output produces the ‘high’ ratio and provides the full ratio sweep in a smooth, continuous manner.

“The transfer of power through the contacting surfaces of the discs and rollers takes place via a microscopic film of specially developed long-molecule traction fluid. This fluid separates the rolling surfaces of the discs and rollers at their contact points.

“The input and output discs are clamped together within each variator unit. The traction fluid in the contact points between the discs and rollers become highly viscous under this clamping pressure, increasing its ’stickiness’ and creating an efficient mechanism for transferring power between the rotating discs and rollers.”

gord thats a long post for you mate
was you board mate today

Sounds like electric nitro

Cheers for those, the mechanical one makes sense now, but didn't realise some of them would be using a battery system too. How does that one work then? If the energy is stored up in a battery, how is it released back into the system without the use of some sort of motor?

The traction fluid in the contact points between the discs and rollers become highly viscous under this clamping pressure, increasing its ’stickiness’ and creating an efficient mechanism for transferring power between the rotating discs and rollers

Isn't that the mechanical one? How does it work if the energy is stored in a battery?

Yep Sorry, mechanical one

I don't know. But I'm guessing that in the battery systems, since there's a way to charge the battery via braking or whatever (kinetic energy being translated into electrical energy), then the same system can perhaps be deployed in reverse to translate the electrical power back into kinetic energy via the driveline.

Effectively the drivers are going to have a "boost" button their steering wheels to use the KERS energy, so it could potentially make things a lot more unpredictable and interesting.

Yep you're probably right, maybe I should just stop worrying about it and take the layman's approach - it stores energy somehow, and then the hit a button and they have more power!

I'm not so sure whether or not it's a good thing yet, but we'll have to wait and see. My reasoning is that this year Ferrari has been almost untouchable down a straight - with so much more straight line speed than anyone else. If that continues into next year then surely no one is going to have a chance down the straight if a Ferrari is anywhere near the back of them...............

Should make starts interesting too if they charge the system up on the formation lap..........