KERS. This is one term that has been in news all through this Formula -1 season 2009. It is a concept that has not been adopted by many teams though it provides extra bit of energy to the car that can be used in the form of a boost to the car's acceleration. To know what exactly is KERS, we will first have to take a look at Regenerative brakes.
A regenerative brake is not similar to the familiar brakes used in vehicles. Normal brakes will slow down a vehicle by dissipating the vehicles kinetic energy in the form of heat. But a regenerative brake reduces the speed of the car by converting it's kinetic energy into a storeable form of energy which can later be used in a different form.
KERS stands for Kinetic Energy Recovery System.The FIA rules governing KERS are fairly simple but very restrictive. From this season teams are allowed to use KERS to draw 60 Kw of energy from the rear axle on the car, which can be stored up to a total of 400kJ (111 watt hour) of energy per lap, to be reused in the form of a 'boost' button.In effect the system uses regeneration to collect and store energy during braking which allows the drivers to use 60 Kw (82 hp) for 6.6 seconds per lap. The teams are free to choose between either mechanical or electric hybrid systems.
Not all teams participating in the 2009 season have expressed interest in KERS. Only the front runners of last year, Ferrari and McLaren, are using KERS to effect till date.A problem as spotted out by many experts lies in the overall weight of the car i.e., 605 kgs, which also must include the weight of the driver. There were rumours that drivers were found trying to lose weight to give more ballast support to the car. Some teams also wanted to put up an appeal in favour of increasing the total weight of the car in order to support the new KERS system.
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