Despite the fact that often supercar manufacturers copy wrong or right decisions from Formula 1 cars, i.e. 10 cylinder engines, none of the recently presented super cars featured a KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System). This is somewhat surprising! By adding some 40-50 kg you can add some extra power (80 HP in F1) and torque to your car and at the same time reduce the fuel consumption if done rightly. Adding a KERS could mean to power the car with a smallish turbo enhanced six cylinder engine instead of putting a 10 or 12 cylinder block into the car. But not even Lexus thought about this when building the LF-A. Neither has Audi (R8), Ferrari (458) or Mercedes (SLS). Maybe it's because of the marketing guys. You don't want to have your customers think about a Toyota Prius when picking a supercar. But calling it KERS this might be a different story and it would help the buyers to justify buying such a car.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Why is there no "KERS" in supercars? Where is the hybrid supercar?
Despite the fact that often supercar manufacturers copy wrong or right decisions from Formula 1 cars, i.e. 10 cylinder engines, none of the recently presented super cars featured a KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System). This is somewhat surprising! By adding some 40-50 kg you can add some extra power (80 HP in F1) and torque to your car and at the same time reduce the fuel consumption if done rightly. Adding a KERS could mean to power the car with a smallish turbo enhanced six cylinder engine instead of putting a 10 or 12 cylinder block into the car. But not even Lexus thought about this when building the LF-A. Neither has Audi (R8), Ferrari (458) or Mercedes (SLS). Maybe it's because of the marketing guys. You don't want to have your customers think about a Toyota Prius when picking a supercar. But calling it KERS this might be a different story and it would help the buyers to justify buying such a car.
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