A Williams Hybrid Power flywheel energy storage unit is at the heart of the new Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid.
The vehicle recently completed the 1,000km of Zhuhai in China ahead of all other GT cars with fewer stops for petrol. This is largely thanks to the storage unit which includes Williams’ patented Magnetically Loaded Composite flywheel technology that was developed for Formula One.
It captures and stores a vehicle’s kinetic energy in a high momentum composite flywheel. The energy, which would otherwise be lost as heat during braking, is then reintroduced into the driveline to save fuel or bolster performance. This is a crucial element of performance racing and can also be applied to road cars.
The run in Zhuhai was the last of three endurance races for the Porsche hybrid this year. Throughout the season the flywheel technology has been a key focus for the vehicle.
Williams is also working in a consortium with companies, including Jaguar Land Rover, seeking to develop hybrid flywheel applications at a sufficiently low cost to facilitate mass uptake in the road market.
