Kinetic Energy Recovery System Safety Issues

Issues Surround F1 KERS

It looks like the Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS) might not be ready in time for the start in 2009. Originally scheduled for usage in 2009 under the new technical rules of the FIA, the systems now face doubts over safety issues.

On Tuesday a BMW mechanic got an electric shock as he touched a car fitted with the KERS during the test in Jerez, Spain. He was hospitalised and discharged the next day after undergoing a series of tests. Other than suffering from some injuries and grazing to his left arm, the mechanic also reported dizzy spells which prompted his admittance into the hospital.

BMW has since halted their KERS testing.

Prior to this incident, the Red Bull team evacuated their Milton Keynes factory when smoke and fumes were emitted after a battery failure in the team's KERS.

There are still a lot of issues to be ironed out ahead of the system's introduction, and that prompted a call for discussion between the teams at the next F1 Technical Working Group meeting. Toyota's team president John Howett has expressed his doubts over whether the issues can be solved in time for the system's usage in 2009.

In an interview with autosport.com, Howett said, "The challenges are enormous for everybody.

"We're all fighting very hard to have a raceable, safe KERS, but whether it is achievable or not has to be seen.

"I think if you read between the lines of a lot of teams I think a lot of people are struggling."

He is not the only one with this opinion as Ross Brawn, team principal of Honda, has also echoed his sentiments and remains uncertain if the team will start the 2009 season with the new system.

"I don't know for certain," he said. "We will if it's a performance gain, and we haven't done enough work yet to know if it's a performance gain. We are scheduling to start the season with it, but we will see how it develops.

"It's rather too early to say, but the new car is designed to accommodate it and the day that it becomes a positive, net performance gain we will start to race it."

The KERS is a regenerative brake device that is designed to recover some of the vehicle's kinetic energy that is normally dissipated as heat during braking. The recovered energy could be stored electrically, in a battery or supercapacitor, or mechanically, in a flywheel, for use as a source of additional accelerative power at the driver's discretion¹. For more information, read Formula One: 'Braking' New Ground' by Chris Ellis

1. 2009 Formula One season, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Formula_One_season, accessed 24th July 2008

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Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved.

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