There are several ways to propel a vehicle. One of them is kinetic energy, which is present in an object by virtue of it being in motion. If we are running across a field and trip over an unseen object, for example, then kinetic energy propels us forward onto the ground. Once we get flywheel batteries spinning, they have the same potential to drive electric motors.
Other Forms of Energy Working Like Flywheel Batteries
When baseball pitchers swing their pitching arms back, they store kinetic energy that releases as they hurl them forward. The same principle applies when archers draw arrows back, and kids shoot at targets with toy catapults. The ancient Romans used giant catapults to hurl huge stones at castle walls.
Similarly, if we spin an AA battery on a sheet of glass it rotates for quite a while. During the 1940’s, Swiss technology company Oerlikon decided to apply the same principle to city public transport they called the Gyrobus.
Oerlikon engineers installed flywheels spinning at 3,000 revs per minute in bus engine compartments. These accelerated rapidly in electric motor mode, thanks to grid power fed through three booms located on the roof. When fully charged, the flywheel batteries became electricity generators powering secondary electric motors. The system proved practical, provided there were sufficient recharging stations.
Recharging flywheel energy took a maximum three minutes. Thereafter the buses were good for up to 6 miles, at 30 to 40 mph. The vehicles were effective in gasoline-starved Europe during World War 2, where after fossil fuels took over. There were also technical problems with motor bearings, for which we now have skills to solve.
An abiding question challenges us in these dark days of global warming. We should explore all alternative energy sources diligently. Perhaps we should give flywheel batteries another chance, now we have an abundance of solar power in high-density batteries waiting for our call. It would be a shame if we overlooked flywheel batteries, seeing as they appear to have such great potential.
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Preview Image: Gyrobus Engine
