At 17.12 2010.05.17, you wrote:
>>
>> So far I imagined to build and use such a device at home, but I never 
>> thought it
>> to be really feasible nor that it was already invented, and even used with 
>> great
>> results! I thought it was just a product of my imagination, instead..
>>
>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flywheel_energy_storage
>
>Porsche are using this concept as energy storage in a concept hybrid race 
>car.
>
>http://www.nzherald.co.nz/motoring/news/article.cfm?c_id=9&objectid=10625787
>
>The flywheel is used to store energy from braking the car, and then when 
>acceleration is required energy from the flywheel is used to generate 
>electricity to feed electric motors on the front wheels.
>
>The flywheel system is also one of the suggested methods of storing energy 
>in the Formula One KERS systems, which may be coming back next year. AFAIK 
>all the systems that ran last year used some form of battery to store the 
>energy, but flywheel is an option. 

Does a rapidly spinning flywheen cause some effect noticeable on the dynamics
of a vehicle?

And, when using a flywheel as electrical energy storage, how do they add energy
to it if it's already spinning very fast? If I imagine it like an electric motor
virtually free of friction, and with big rotational inertia, there's a limit in
which I would have to put a large voltage accross it to make it accelerate. Do
these limits exist too in those systems (e.g. the one by NASA) or are there more
clever ways to add energy?

Greets,
Mario

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