U.K. Firm Honored for CV, Bus Energy-Recovery System

A locally designed, Formula 1-inspired energy recovery system for buses takes top prize in the U.K. auto industry’s annual innovation competition.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders award went to Torotrak Group’s Flybrid KERS for buses and commercial vehicles that 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 out Dearman Engine with its Dearman engine and liquid-air technology for efficient transport and cooling systems, and Jaguar Land Rover for its new Ingenium family of compact, lightweight, low-emissions diesel and gasoline engines.

Both received highly commended status.

SMMT CEO Mike Hawes says Torotrak’s Flybrid KERS not only is a genuinely innovative concept, it also is in an advanced stage of development with huge potential to influence the wider automotive sector.

The award started in 2010, with Torotrak Group following in the footsteps of Gordon Murray Design, JLR, Optare and Ford in winning the accolade.

Torotrak CEO Jeremy Deering says the system will cost about a quarter of a conventional battery-electric hybrid and is substantially smaller and about a quarter the weight.

“Third-party validated test results have been achieved with a thoroughly modern, lightweight, high-efficiency vehicle…indicating ongoing opportunities to provide the sector with a low-cost route to reduced emissions and substantially lower operating costs,” Deering says in a statement.

“Winning such a prestigious award shows that there is real faith in the commercial potential of our purely-mechanical hybridization system for heavy-vehicle applications, and that by making hybridization more accessible and affordable, we can make a real impact on fleet emissions and running costs.”