Formula 1 KERS Tech In Your Everyday Sportscars?

For some reason I tend to do my best thinking while I am behind the wheel. Possibly because of my commute or because the greenie in front of me in their Prius was going no more than 42mph in a 50mph speed limit road preventing from getting me to get where I needed to go. I finally got fed up and was thinking about passing the ugly thing but I unfortunately had little room and a turn was approaching. At that moment thoughts about the F1 Grand Prix at Monaco I was watching previous night popped into my head. I believe it was a couple years ago that I heard that the F1 organization was introducing new technology into their already tech filled cars. The system is called KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) and truth be told, it is exactly how it sounds. In essence it works as a typical Hybrid system when it comes to storing and regnerating energy from braking or in F1's case the flywheel as well. In F1, it gives the drivers the ability to use that stored energy from braking as a temporary "boost" in power for short bursts so that they can use it to pass an opponent in order to help them win. I know Ferrari is working on this system and plans on introducing it in their regular car lineup, which brings me to the point I am trying to make. Why not have KERS in your regular sports car??

With CAFE strong arming companies to submit to its regulations, sports cars as we know it are slowly changing whether we like it or not. Raw sports cars are now a rare breed and hybrid powertrains finding their way into cars is only inevitable. KERS would provide sports car a nice boost in power when necessary similar to a NOS system without the drawbacks of blown motors and false egos. With the flexability of using the brakes or the flywheel as a charging system for the electric motor the uses would be beneficial and not just in powergains. Now, don't misunderstand my point. I am by no means saying we should just throw in a Prius drive train in a Mustang and have a good looking appliance, afterall that is sacreligious. What I am trying to get across is that having an electric motor to assist the engine so that you can achieve better fuel economy and more power is not such a horrible idea. If you had asked me this same question last year I probably would have been crying after laughing so hard, however it is something that will probably come to fruitition whether we like it or not. I am all for rumbling V8s, or in my case, high strung rotaries, but having your go and being "green" is not such a bad thing. You can have your cake and eat it too. You can have your 400+hp, and get fuel economy that some may have thought would've been impossible for these big high powered motors. This way, the V8s and other high powered motors can live on and still be enjoyed. I understand the drawback of added weight in the cars with the battery for storing the energy, the electric motor(s) and the corresponding components but in my opinion, it is a sacrifice I am willing to make in order to keep my favorite motors alive in the cars that I love.

Before any of you think that I am a traitor and not a true sports car enthusiast, you couldn't be any further from the truth. I love raw sports cars like the venerable Viper, the Corvette, the Z, etc, but our planets resources are limited and getting consumed as more countries are industrializing and there appears to be no end in sight as more bad news rolls in as talk of electric vehicles becomes a normal topic of conversation in auto forums across the web. What about cars such as the Tesla Roadster, you ask? As it too is a sports car but is all electric. Unfortunately they just don't have the soul and feel of a car with an actual internal combustion engine. Its hard to describe, as any sports car owner would probably sympathize and agree with me. Having the KERS system just provides a little bit of longevity to some of the true enthusiasts that are left remaining in the automotive world. After I die, I don't care what happens, but until then, let me enjoy my sports cars.