Torotrak Group’s kinetic energy recovery
system (KERS), originally devised by Flybrid Automotive, has taken first prize
in the prestigious SMMT Award for Automotive Innovation 2014.
Although
designed for buses, the technology can be applied to commercial vehicles,
including vans, as well as off-highway construction equipment.
Torotrak
Group’s Flybrid KERS for buses and commercial vehicles uses a fully mechanical
system to store energy from a vehicle’s motion, which can be transferred back
to the drive system to power the vehicle. It beat off stiff competition from
the Dearman Engine Company and Jaguar Land Rover, both of which received Highly
Commended status.
Mike
Hawes, SMMT chief executive and a member of the award judging panel, said,
“The UK is one of the world’s leaders in automotive engineering and R&D, a
fact epitomised by Torotrak’s Flybrid KERS.
“Not
only a genuinely innovative concept, it is also in an advanced stage of
development with huge potential to influence the wider automotive sector. It
was fantastic to see such a superb calibre of entrants in this year’s Award.
SMMT will continue to help the UK build on its position as a global leader for
automotive innovation.”
Sponsored
by GKN and supported by The Times, the SMMT Award for Automotive
Innovation demonstrates the wealth of design and engineering talent in the UK
automotive sector by rewarding the most ground-breaking concepts each year.
The
Award started in 2010, and Torotrak Group follows in the footsteps of Gordon
Murray Design, JaguarLandRover, Optare and Ford in winning the accolade.
The
Award was presented to Jon Hilton, Torotrak’s product development and sales
director, by Nigel Stein, GKN chief executive, at the 2014 SMMT Annual Dinner
on 25 November. Hilton co-founded Flybrid Automotive Systems prior to its
acquisition by Torotrak plc.
Jeremy
Deering, chief executive officer, Torotrak, said, “Our system will be around
one quarter the cost of a conventional battery electric hybrid as well as
substantially smaller and around a quarter the weight.
“Third
party validated test results have been achieved with a thoroughly modern,
lightweight, high efficiency vehicle from Wrightbus, indicating ongoing
opportunities to provide the sector with a low-cost route to reduced emissions
and substantially lower operating costs.”
“Winning
such a prestigious award shows that there is real faith in the commercial
potential of our purely-mechanical hybridisation system for heavy vehicle
applications, and that by making hybridisation more accessible and affordable,
we can make a real impact on fleet emissions and running costs,” continued
Deering.
Nigel
Stein, GKN chief executive, said, “Congratulations to Torotrak. Any
automotive innovation that can improve efficiency and reduce carbon emissions
deserves particular focus, and it is great to see British companies driving this
forward.”
To
win the Award, Torotrak had to get through a judging session at the hands of
some of the most influential experts in the UK automotive sector. The panel
featured: Mike Hawes, chief executive, SMMT; Dave Salt, chief engineer, GKN
Driveline; Robert Lea, industrial editor, The Times and Jim
Higginbotham, head of specialist markets, Lombard
COMMENT. For GKN Drivelines there was a certain irony to the Awards event on 25 November. Earlier this year GKN aquired the assets of Williams Hybrid Power (see GKN in flywheel bus push of 5 September 2014) and as a result formed its own activity in this sector within its GKN Land Power group; GKN named its system Gyrodrive. At the time, GKN hailed it as "ground breaking technology". And indeed, the UK transmissions company won a contract to supply the Go-Ahead bus group with 500 systems. GKN is not the only player; Ricardo plc also has an interest in this sector of technology. So quite possibly, Dave Salt, as chief engineer of GKN Driveline, in approving Flybrid's design for the SMMT Award may have permitted himself a somewhy wry smile, bearing in mind GKN's descrption of its own system as "innovative". The SMMT Award was truly a case of David and Goliath! GKN's boss Nick Stein may also have had a few private thoughts of his own on the matter too! JM
COMMENT. For GKN Drivelines there was a certain irony to the Awards event on 25 November. Earlier this year GKN aquired the assets of Williams Hybrid Power (see GKN in flywheel bus push of 5 September 2014) and as a result formed its own activity in this sector within its GKN Land Power group; GKN named its system Gyrodrive. At the time, GKN hailed it as "ground breaking technology". And indeed, the UK transmissions company won a contract to supply the Go-Ahead bus group with 500 systems. GKN is not the only player; Ricardo plc also has an interest in this sector of technology. So quite possibly, Dave Salt, as chief engineer of GKN Driveline, in approving Flybrid's design for the SMMT Award may have permitted himself a somewhy wry smile, bearing in mind GKN's descrption of its own system as "innovative". The SMMT Award was truly a case of David and Goliath! GKN's boss Nick Stein may also have had a few private thoughts of his own on the matter too! JM
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