Conference Session 2124 INTEGRATING FLYWHEEL-BASED KINETIC ENERGY RECOVERY SYSTEMS IN HYBRID VEHICLES Nathan Harlow (njh35@pitt.edu), Robert Scott Johnson (rsj6@pitt.edu) Abstract– A concern with current hybrid electric vehicles is low efficiency. There are multiple ways of conserving the energy of a vehicle to improve efficiency. This paper will examine and evaluate the use of flywheel technology as an effective means of conserving energy in hybrid vehicles. First, the paper will explain, in detail, the engineering and mechanics of the flywheel, and will clarify how flywheel energy storage works and how it can be applied to hybrid vehicles. The significance and efficacy of using flywheels in hybrid vehicles will be evaluated. It will then cover the history behind the development of this technology. The paper will briefly assess current methods of recovering otherwise wasted energy and their shortcomings. Each component of the flywheel-based kinetic energy recovery system will be described in detail. Next, the advantages and disadvantages of using flywheel energy storage as opposed to other energy storage systems will be discussed. The paper will address the safety concerns of using this system and also talk about the environmental impacts. Finally, it will conclude with an explanation of the importance of flywheel technology and an analysis of its outlook. the vehicle. This is accomplished by using a flywheel. A flywheel is a mechanical device that can be used to store rotational energy. Flywheels are generally large metal discs that are accelerated to high rotational speeds. The amount of energy that flywheels are able to store is dependent upon the weight of the flywheel and how fast it is rotating.ed KEEPING IT KINETIC The ability of flywheels to store energy is explained by the principles of inertia, angular velocity, and kinetic energy. The equation for the energy (1) stored in a flywheel reads as follows: 1 πΈ = πΌπ2 2 (1) [1] Where πΈ is energy (Joules), πΌ is the inertia of the flywheel (kgm2), and π is the angular velocity (rad/sec) of the flywheel. The equation for the inertia (2) of a flywheel is: 1 πΌ = π(π12 − π22 ) 2 Key Words—conservation of energy, energy storage, flywheel, hybrid, kinetic energy recovery system (2) [1] Where πΌ is inertia (kgm2), m is mass (kg), and r1 and r2 are the outer and inner radii (meters), respectively. An important thing to note about the energy equation is the relationship between inertia and angular velocity. If the inertia is doubled, the energy stored is also doubled. If the angular velocity is doubled, then the energy stored is four times the original amount. This shows that the angular velocity of the flywheel has a much greater effect on the energy of the flywheel than the inertia. With this in mind, it is more important to maximize the velocity of the flywheel rather than increasing its mass in order to achieve greater energy storage. The materials of the flywheel play a big role in determining the efficiency of the system. In the past, flywheels were often made of heavy materials such as steel. Since the angular velocity affects the energy of the flywheel more than the mass, it makes sense to decrease the mass, because any excess mass increases the weight of the vehicle, requiring more energy to move it, resulting in lower efficiency. Also, with the flywheel rotating at speeds exceeding 60,000 rpm, the material needs to be very strong and durable. For these reasons, flywheels are made of a carbon fiber filament wound rim that surrounds a steel hub [1]. The following is a list of system specifications for the kinetic energy recovery system that has been used in Formula 1 cars: A NEW SPIN ON HYBRIDS Today’s society increasingly depends upon technology and energy use. Much of our energy is consumed in the form of transportation and relies heavily upon fossil fuels which are limited resources that can damage the environment. In the past decade, a big push has been made to develop efficient hybrid vehicles to reduce energy consumption, as well as promote sustainable living. There are several ways of conserving energy in vehicles and the aim of each way is to increase the overall efficiency while remaining economical, practical, and safe. Currently, the market for hybrid vehicles is largely comprised of hybrid electric vehicles. These vehicles are partially or fully powered by electric motors that are supplied electricity from rechargeable batteries. The technology that they are built upon is not yet fully developed and cannot operate to the efficiency that it needs to. While hybrid electric vehicles lead the market, there continues to be development in alternative, more efficient hybrid vehicle technology. An emerging technology in “green” transportation is the flywheel-based kinetic energy recovery system. This system focuses on recovering the energy normally lost during braking and stores it to be used to assist the acceleration of University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering February 10, 2012 1 Nathan Harlow Robert Scott Johnson ο· Power 60kW ο· System Weight 25 kg ο· Flywheel Weight 5 kg ο· CVT Weight 5 kg ο· Flywheel Diameter 200 mm ο· Flywheel Length 100 mm ο· Efficiency >70% round trip ο· Flywheel Max Speed 64,500 rpm The total weight of the system is insignificant compared to the total weight of the vehicle, so the fuel efficiency of the vehicle is unaffected. A heavier vehicle requires more power to get going, but the weight of the system does not increase much with the weight of the vehicle. The flywheel is located in the rear of the vehicle near the center so that it does not throw off the balance of the vehicle. It is also small enough that the gyroscopic forces caused by its rotation do not affect the vehicle’s handling. There are some forces that work against the rotation of the flywheel, such as friction and air resistance. These forces can pose a problem for the overall efficiency of the system. To reduce these effects, the flywheel rotates using magnetic bearings which suspend the axle that the flywheel rotates around. The flywheel is also put in a vacuum sealed chamber to eliminate air resistance. A vacuum pump is attached to the chamber to remove any air that leaks in where the axle exits the chamber. This information will be expanded upon later in the paper. using the electric motor to rotate it to up to 3,000 revolutions per minute. While this is a relatively low speed compared to modern day flywheels, it was still able to store a lot of energy because of its size. The process of charging the bus took anywhere from 30 seconds to three minutes. The electric motor was then used as a generator. Powered by the energy stored in the flywheel, it delivered power to the wheels and allowed the Gyrobus to travel three to six miles at 30 to 40 miles per hour. There were obvious problems with the Gyrobus including the material, weight, and efficiency. Because the flywheel was made out of steel it had a large weight and was limited to low speeds. It also used conventional bearings that created friction and often broke because of the weight of the flywheel [3]. Since the time of the Gyrobus, flywheel technology has advanced greatly due to the availability of carbon fiber. As mentioned before, this allows the flywheels to be smaller and lightweight making them better suited for vehicles. The first high-tech flywheels were developed and tested in Formula 1 cars as a way of recovering energy. This increased the performance of the cars and gave them a small boost coming out of turns [4]. Although they have not reached consumer or public transit vehicles there are several companies that have been testing and producing systems for these applications. One of the main leaders in flywheel technology is Flybrid Systems. They currently develop KERS for commercial vehicle use. Volvo has been testing a carbon fiber flywheel-based KERS that they are hoping to release in the next few years. They claim that it can reduce fuel consumption up to 20% and offer an extra 80 horsepower during initial acceleration [5]. Advancement of Flywheel Energy Storage The use of flywheels to store energy is an old process. They have been used in many things before such as potter’s wheels, steam engines, manual transmissions, and any pullstart motor. Flywheels have also been used as an option of managing the power in the electric grid. The supply of power is not always constant. For example, the use of wind turbines and solar panels produces power that is not constant because there is not always wind and the sun is not always shining. Large batteries have been used in an attempt to solve this problem but they are made of harmful, expensive materials. Flywheels are a cheaper alternative to stabilizing the power grid. They are able to store the energy produced and can be discharged of that energy at a later time. Beacon, a company that provides products and services for the electrical power grid, has opened a flywheel energy storage plant in Stephentown, New York, that consists of 200 flywheels. This plant can respond to the electrical grid in four seconds [2]. First attempts to apply these energy storage abilities in vehicles have been in buses and trains. During the 1950’s in Switzerland, Zaire, and Belgium, flywheel technology was incorporated into a vehicle known as the Gyrobus. It was a passenger bus that carried a three ton rotating steel wheel that was attached to an electric motor. While the Gyrobus was at the station, energy would be stored in the flywheel by Flywheels in Hybrid Vehicles A kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) is a technology that requires two things. It requires a method of recovering and storing the energy of a vehicle and a medium to store this energy in [1]. The majority of hybrids on the market are electric hybrids. These vehicles use the electrical approach to recovering and storing energy. First, the kinetic energy of the vehicle is transformed into electrical energy via the electric motor. Then, the electrical energy is converted to chemical energy and stored in a battery. Finally, the chemical energy is then converted back into electrical energy which is used by the motor to create kinetic energy once again. Each of these steps has losses of energy making the use of an electrical KERS inefficient [6]. The other approach to recovering and storing the kinetic energy of a vehicle is a mechanical approach. The two main methods of recovering energy mechanically are through the use of hydraulic pressure and the use of a flywheel. Recovering energy via hydraulic pressure requires three main components. The system must have a small dieselmotor powered pump, a hydraulic motor, and an accumulator. The pump stores energy in the accumulator by 2 Nathan Harlow Robert Scott Johnson forcing hydraulic fluid into it, creating pressures of up to 385 kg/cm2. The hydraulic pressure is then released to power the hydraulic motor when the accelerator is pressed [7]. The mechanical hybrid consists of a rotating flywheel, continuously variable transmission (CVT), and a connection to the driveline. With a flywheel-based KERS, the kinetic energy of the vehicle is directly stored as the kinetic energy of the flywheel through a series of gears and the CVT. This decreases the speed of the vehicle and increases the speed of the flywheel. When the vehicle is ready to accelerate, the process is reversed and the energy is returned to the vehicle, increasing the vehicle speed and decreasing the flywheel speed. Thus, the kinetic energy stored in the flywheel is inversely related to the kinetic energy of the vehicle. This change in the ratio of speeds is accomplished through the use of a Toroidal CVT. The two rollers that are in the middle of the diagrams transmit power from the vehicle to the flywheel. They are rotated to contact the discs in different areas, adjusting the ratio of vehicle speed to flywheel speed, and are free to spin against the input and output discs [9]. Because of the friction created by metal to metal contact, an elastohydrodynamic traction fluid is used to eliminate this contact but still allows the discs and rollers to have traction [1]. When the flywheel is not in use or when the vehicle comes to a complete stop, a clutch enables the disengagement of the flywheel from the rest of the system. The clutch also disengages when the ratio of input power to output power is too large or too small [6]. As mentioned before, flywheels experience losses in energy storage due to the friction created by the rotation of an axle and the surrounding air. For a flywheel-based KERS to be safe and efficient in hybrid vehicles it is necessary to eliminate as much of this friction as possible. To do this, the flywheel must rotate on magnetic bearings as opposed to conventional ball bearings. TOROIDAL CVT CVT’s are necessary in KERS because the ratio between vehicle speed and flywheel speed changes during braking and acceleration [6]. As the vehicle slows, the Toroidal CVT must continuously adjust the ratio between the speed of the vehicle and the rotation of the flywheel. As opposed to traditional transmissions that utilize planetary gears to adjust the ratio, Toroidal CVT’s use a series of discs and rollers to vary the output to either the flywheel or the vehicle [1]. A similar method to the toroidal CVT is a pulley-based CVT. It contains two variable-diameter pulleys, connected by a high power belt, that can be adjusted to change the input-output ratio between the car and the flywheel. This produces the same effect of a toroidal CVT [8]. The illustrations below demonstrate how the positions of the rollers affect the output on either side of the CVT. MAGNETIC BEARINGS In contrast with conventional bearings that use balls to reduce rotational friction, magnetic bearings electromagnetically suspend a shaft eliminating contact between the shaft and the bearing. Systems that use magnetic bearings typically have two radial bearings and a thrust bearing. The radial bearings consist of two main parts. They have a stationary component called the stator and a rotating component called the rotor. The stator is comprised of a buildup of laminations shaped with poles. The poles are then wound with coils of wire and an electric current is passed through the coils to produce an attractive force on the rotor which fits over the shaft. FIGURE 2 PICTURE SHOWING THE DESIGN OF A MAGNETIC BEARING [10] Thrust bearings allow the movement of the axle to be controlled using electromagnetic forces. A thrust bearing in combination with two radial bearings allows control of the axle along five axes [10]. FIGURE 1 ILLUSTRATION OF VARIOUS POSITIONS OF THE TOROIDAL CVT AND THEIR OUTCOME [9] 3 Nathan Harlow Robert Scott Johnson Magnetic bearings offer many advantages to a flywheelbased KERS that could be used in hybrid vehicles. Because of the air gap created by the levitation, friction between the shaft and the bearing is eliminated. This increases the ability of the flywheel to store energy. Other advantages include a life-span of fifteen to twenty years, ability to operate at high speeds, and most importantly magnetic bearings are lubricant free which allows them to operate inside a vacuum [10]. It is important that the bearings are able to operate inside a vacuum because the flywheel in a flywheel-based KERS must rotate at high speeds for maximum efficiency. At such high speeds friction caused by air resistance is enough to cause significant energy losses and heat the carbon fiber rim to its glass transition temperature [1]. To avoid these effects the flywheel must be enclosed in a vacuum housing. The housing will ensure that the flywheel is performing under ideal conditions but will also offer protection to the rest of the vehicle in case of failure. Because the flywheel is driven by an axle and must operate in a vacuum, a rotating seal is used where the axle enters the housing. The rotating seal is not fully impermeable so a small vacuum pump must evacuate excess air from the chamber. This is a negligible amount of energy that the vehicle consumes because it is only necessary to run the pump for 90 seconds a day [4]. Another approach to this problem is to have the flywheel operate in a complete vacuum and use magnets to transfer energy between the flywheel and the shaft connected to the transmission. Using a complete vacuum eliminates the need for a vacuum pump and reduces the overall size of the system. Ricardo, a company that develops flywheel-based KERS, has taken this approach in their Kinergy system. They use an array of permanent magnets to transfer the energy between the flywheel and shaft. There is one magnet that is attached to the shaft that the flywheel rotates about and another that is attached to the external shaft. The magnetic fields of the two magnets interlock with each other producing an effect similar to that of two gears. This enables the shaft that is connected to the transmission to transfer energy to the flywheel without directly entering the vacuum [4]. that they plan on testing in an Optare Solo city bus. The system consists of a high speed flywheel that is made of carbon fiber wound around a steel rim, full toroidal CVT, and vacuum housing. Rather than take the approach of a vacuum pump and rotating seal, the developers have chosen to use a magnetic coupling, as described previously, to rotate the flywheel. The rollers that control the ratio between vehicle speed and flywheel speed are adjusted using hydraulic pistons. The amount at which they are adjusted is proportional to the torque of the input and output shaft. The FLYBUS system is designed so that it connects to the existing transmission of the bus. This allows the option of affordably retrofitting the system to existing buses. FIGURE 3 THE FLYBUS SYSTEM ATTACHED TO THE BUS TRANSMISSION. THE BROWN COMPONENT IS THE FLYWHEEL CHAMBER, BLUE IS THE CVT, AND GRAY IS THE EXISTING TRANSMISSION [12]. Should anything happen to the actual flywheel module, it is designed to be easily removed and replaced by a new one. The system is much cheaper than its electrical counterpart and because of the stop and start pattern of buses the FLYBUS system would have a dramatic effect on fuel consumption of city buses [11]. FLYBUS ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF USING FLYWHEEL-BASED KINETIC ENERGY RECOVERY SYSTEMS These advancements in flywheel technology have allowed for the effective use of flywheel KERS in vehicles. Torotrak, a leader in flywheel technology, in partner with Ricardo, Optare and Allison Transmission Inc. is developing a flywheel system, FLYBUS, for use in city buses. There have already been attempts at creating a hybrid bus but these have been with the use of electrical technology. These systems have had very little success because they increase the cost of the typical bus by about 80-120% and have little potential to be retrofitted to existing vehicles [11]. This has led to development of a more appropriate technology. Torotrak along with its partners have developed a system Before deciding to implement this new technology, it is important to consider the advantages and disadvantages of these systems. A flywheel-based KERS provides a variety of benefits that increase the viability of this system in today’s transportation. These advantages include high efficiency, low fuel consumption, and low cost. Although the system has a few drawbacks, many problems can be reduced or outweighed by the benefits. One advantage of a flywheel-based KERS is its weight. A concern with the addition of a KERS to a vehicle is that the weight of the system will increase the vehicle’s fuel consumption and defeat the purpose of installing it in the 4 Nathan Harlow Robert Scott Johnson first place. However, due to the lightweight design of the flywheel and accompanying components, the additional weight is insignificant when analyzing fuel efficiency. Moreover, the system is contained in a small package, making it easy to incorporate into the rear of a vehicle. Another advantage is the ability of the flywheel to store energy efficiently. As mentioned earlier, there is no transformation to electrical or chemical energy as there is with an electrical kinetic energy recovery system. This greatly reduces energy losses in the system. Tests have proven that flywheel-based KERS can recover and store over 70% of the vehicle’s energy [1]. The only losses that remain are those due to friction and air resistance. However, the magnetic bearings and vacuum chamber mentioned previously have been developed to minimize these effects. Energy is transferred from the driveline to the KERS during the deceleration of the vehicle. When this energy is given to the flywheel, the flywheel acts as a brake, slowing down the vehicle as it recovers the energy. Instead of releasing the energy as heat, the energy is recovered. This process reduces break wear. As a whole, the flywheel-based KERS is designed to last the lifetime of the vehicle. In addition, the system is low maintenance. Another one of the concerns with a flywheel-based KERS is safety. The flywheels found in a kinetic energy recovery system can store up to 400 kJ of energy, which means that failure while rotating at 60,000 rpm could cause immense amounts of damage. To address this concern, the flywheel housing doubles as a containment chamber in case of failure. Efforts have been made to ensure the safety of the system by conducting tests of system response time, structural safety of the components, and crash test safety. These tests have concluded that flywheel-based KERS are safe and even meet the strict standards of Formula 1 racing. It is important to manufacture each and every part of the system to safety standards and thoroughly test the product before it goes on the market. Engineers need to make sure that the gyroscopic forces of the flywheel do not affect the handling of the vehicle. This technology relies on specific conditions in order to avoid catastrophic failure. For example, if defective flywheel housings are put on buses full of people, the passengers are put in serious danger. An accident using this technology in early stages of development could terminate further research and production. The flywheel-based KERS is not designed to be a standalone source of power for a vehicle like batteries are in electric cars. It is designed for temporary energy storage that is to be used frequently and in smaller amounts. Its purpose is to reduce fuel consumption by providing additional power during the acceleration of a vehicle. Periods of acceleration, especially from a stop, are when the efficiency of the vehicle is at its lowest. This is seen when comparing the gas mileage of city and highway driving. The miles per gallon of a vehicle travelling in the city are significantly lower than the miles per gallon of a vehicle on the highway. The start-stop pattern of city driving requires constant changes in speed as drivers move from stoplight to stoplight. The KERS is implemented to aid the acceleration in order to reduce fuel consumption and increase fuel efficiency by 10-20% [13]. This also cuts the amount of money spent on fuel for the vehicles, which is a huge bonus due to rising gas prices. The biggest benefit of introducing flywheel-based kinetic energy recovery systems is the low cost of production. In order to move this technology into regular production vehicles, it is necessary for the equipment to cost as little as possible. At a lower cost, vehicles with flywheel-based KERS will be available to more consumers. The entire kinetic energy recovery system is projected to cost about $2000 per vehicle, which is far less than the $8000 required to produce a hybrid electric vehicle [4]. This cost would continue to drop as the system is further developed. As this technology expands into the automotive industry, it could have a greater influence on sustainability practices. Although it does not eliminate any environmental problems, kinetic energy recovery systems are a response to rising oil prices and environmental concerns. With this in mind, manufacturers and consumers alike will quickly move to utilize this technology. THE FUTURE OF FLYWHEELS The main proponent that will launch flywheel-based kinetic energy recovery systems into the automotive industry is the low cost. One reason why hybrid vehicles have never really caught on is because it costs so much money to produce them. In fact, many automotive companies lose money producing these vehicles. However, flywheel-based KERS are set to change this with their low cost. Manufacturers would see this benefit and start the integration of these systems into their own vehicles. In turn, consumers would be attracted to these vehicles because they could be sold at lower prices. Any vehicle could be designed with a flywheel-based kinetic energy recovery system, but the area most affected by this technology would be any vehicle with a start-stop cycle of driving. This includes a wide variety of vehicles, both large and small. For example, this technology has already been tested in FLYBUS, a flywheel hybrid system developed for buses. Buses run routes that contain frequent stops, so a KERS could make those routes more efficient. This extends to all public transportation, such as school buses, shuttles, and even taxis. The flywheel-based KERS also has applications in delivery trucks, mail trucks and garbage trucks that make frequent stops. As for other vehicles, many smaller city cars could be outfitted with these systems, which would far outnumber the vehicles in other categories. Better yet, it could be possible to retrofit existing vehicles with a kinetic energy recovery system. This includes the millions upon millions of cars, trucks, and buses on the roads today. It could be proven to be cheaper to install a 5 Nathan Harlow Robert Scott Johnson https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/mragheb/www/NPRE%20498ES%20Energy%20St orage%20Systems/Kinetic%20Energy%20Flywheel%20Energy%20Storage .pdf [4](December 3, 2011) “Reinventing the wheel.” The Economist. [Online]. Available: http://www.economist.com/node/21540386 Accessed: 25 January 2012 [5](May 31, 2011) “Volvo shows off KERS flywheel tech.” Autoblog. [Online]. Available: http://www.autoblog.com/2011/05/31/volvo-showsoff-kers-flywheel-tech-w-video/ [6] Boretti, Alberto. (8 June 2010) “Comparison of fuel economies of high efficiency diesel and hydrogen engines powering a compact car with a flywheel based kinetic energy recovery systems.” Sciencedirect. [Online]. Available: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360319910009663 [7]Johnston, Christopher. (August 11, 2010) “High-Pressure Hybrids: FuelEfficient Hydraulic Vehicles Come of Age.” Scientific American. [Online]. Available: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=hydraulichybrid-vehicle [8]Harris, William. (April 27, 2005) “How CVT’s Work.” HowStuffWorks.com. [Online]. Available: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/cvt.htm [9]Vivani, Steffani. “Toroidal System.” What Would DaVinci Drive? [Online] Available: http://www.odec.ca/projects/2007/viva7s2/toroidal2.htm [10]Mraz, Stephen. (September 16, 2004) “Magnetic Bearings Come of Age.” MachineDesign.com. [Online]. Available: http://machinedesign.com/article/magnetic-bearings-come-of-age-0916 [11]Fuller, John, Atkins, Andrew. (2011) “Hardware Development of FLYBUS – Flywheel Based Mechanical Hybrid Systems for Bus & Commercial Vehicles.” Torotrak. [Online]. Available: http://www.torotrak.com/pdfs/tech_papers/2011/Flybus_Paper_final.pdf [12](November 16, 2010) “Low-Cost Hybrid System Wins Award For Heavy Goods Vehicle CO2 Reduction Technology.” Newspress. [Online]. Available: http://www.newspress.co.uk/public/ViewPressRelease.aspx?pr=25576 [13](6 September 2011) “Flybus to start testing first flywheel hybrid bus.” Torotrak. [Online]. Available: http://www.torotrak.com/pdfs/rns/2011/TOR7168%20Flybus%20LCV%20 2011%20FINAL.pdf [14] Hilton, J., Cross, D. “Flybrid systems: breakthrough technology for greener driving.” The Royal Academy of Engineering. [Online]. Available: http://innovationnow.raeng.org.uk/innovations/default.aspx?item=6 flywheel-based KERS in a whole line of buses than replace each bus with an entirely new model. The overall energy saved in these groups would make a huge impact on fuel consumption. By reducing fuel consumption, the flywheel-based KERS lowers environmental impact by decreasing harmful CO2 emissions. It has been found that the amount of CO 2 emitted during the manufacturing of one flywheel KERS is made up for within the first 12,000 km of driving [14]. In addition, as opposed to a hybrid electric vehicle, a flywheel-based mechanical hybrid does not have the harmful chemicals to dispose of that are found in batteries. Sustainability is an increasingly mentioned term that automobile manufacturers focus on within the vehicle and outside the vehicle in the environment. A TECHNOLOGY OF POTENTIAL The flywheel-based KERS is certainly a technology of importance and potential. With some work, this system could increase the efficiency of hybrid vehicles. It would reduce fuel consumption, and help preserve the environment. Lower CO2 emissions may reduce air pollutions in congested cities. It could be developed by automotive companies worldwide for a fraction of the cost of other hybrid vehicles. Flywheel-based KERS would be found in cities all over the world, in buses, cars, and trucks. Even current vehicles could be retrofitted with this technology. The flywheel-based kinetic energy recovery system does not come without flaws, however. Developments still need to be made in reducing the forces that act upon the flywheel. With these forces minimized, the system would have much higher efficiency and would be able to store energy longer. It would rival hybrid electric vehicles in efficiency and range. Until this point is reached, the world will continue to drive around in gas-guzzling machines. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Leumund. (April 26, 2011) “Flybus flywheel-based mechanical hybrid system.” Youtube. [Online video]. Available: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfRmtkKUdMI REFERENCES [1]Brockbank, C., & Cross, D. (2008) “Mechanical Hybrid system comprising a flywheel and CVT for Motorsport & mainstream Automotive applications.” Torotrak. [Online]. Available: http://www.torotrak.com/pdfs/tech_papers/2009/sae_wc_2009_09pfl0922_kers.pdf [2]Kaufmann, Rachel. (February 23, 2011) “Upgrading the Electric Grid with Flywheels and Air.” National Geographic. [Online]. Available: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2011/2/110223-electricgrid-flywheels-compressed-air/ [3]Ragheb, M. (3 November 2010) “Kinetic Energy Flywheel Energy Storage.” UIUC. [Online]. Available: ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First, we would like to thank the Hillman Library for providing a great place to work. We would also like to thank Beth Newborg for providing assistance on the paper. Finally, we would like to thank Ryan Soncini, Matt Castiglia, and Franklin Preuss for mentoring us about writing technical papers. 6