An electronic control system for Formula One cars that Freescale Semiconductor is developing in collaboration with McLaren Electronic Systems puts Freescale in the forefront of hybrid electric vehicle technology development.
“Racing improves the breed,” is a saying first applied to horses. It was carried over to automobiles, but in recent years it has hardly seemed to apply. Open wheel racing cars have had little or no resemblance to passenger cars and even “stock” cars have been little more than racing chassis with lightweight bodies wrapped around them. In 2009, however, Formula One cars will add a system that really may improve passenger cars.
In 2009 Formula One rules will allow cars to use a KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System), which will use regenerative braking to store mechanical energy in a flywheel or electrical energy in a battery or supercapacitor. The driver can press a button on the steering wheel to use the stored energy to add a 60kW (80.5 horsepower) burst of power for passing or defending his position. So far, most of the teams have chosen the electrical option, using a battery and an electric motor/generator.
