GKN acquires flywheel technology with Williams Hybrid Power 07 April 2014

Williams Grand Prix Engineering has sold its Williams Hybrid Power subsidiary to GKN Land Systems for an undisclosed multi-million pound sum.

The new business unit, which is being rebranded as GKN Hybrid Power, takes on Williams' flywheel energy storage technology, initially developed for Williams' 2009 Formula One car, but since redeveloped for the bus and automotive sectors.

Successes to date include: supplying the flywheel energy storage system for the Le Mans winning Audi R18 e-tron Quattro; a partnership with Go-Ahead to develop the system for urban buses; and a deal with Alstom to build flywheel energy storage technology for tramways.

According to Mike O'Driscoll, group CEO of Williams, the technology offers fuel savings and emissions reductions of up to 30%, achieved by harvesting energy normally lost as heat when braking, and turning it into additional power.

"GKN have the resources and expertise to fully realise the enormous potential of the motorsport-proven flywheel technology, primarily within a variety of public transport applications," comments O'Driscoll.

"Williams Advanced Engineering continues to focus on delivering energy-efficient solutions through incubating and developing new technologies that primarily originate within our Formula One operations, to a broad range of industry sectors, including automotive, aerospace, and energy."

"This acquisition is a great opportunity for GKN to take a unique technology to global markets, helping solve the emissions and efficiency challenges faced by mass transit companies around the world," states Philip Swash, chief executive of GKN Land Systems.

"It also provides GKN with a unique set of engineering skills that we believe will help bring new innovation and performance to our wider product portfolio."

Author
Brian Tinham

Related Companies
GKN Hybrid Power
GKN Land Systems

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