The Formula-1 has never had a greater opportunity to influence the technology of standard cars. Either that or we outsiders haven't yet heard anything and the industry is already working at it feverishly. What we're talking about, is the electric motor on the turbo-charger, which could perhaps, also function as a generator.

Success is at hand, as far as this technology is concerned, because first of all, it solves the problem of turbo-lag. Whereby, a sometimes built-in compressor becomes obsolete. There must simply, always be enough electric energy available, to pull the combustion engine out of the low RPM area. If then, electric energy is recovered through the engine-brake, all the better.

There is an ever increasing trend towards electric drives anyway, and if, with its relatively large batteries, it's too heavy and too expensive, then at least it could be introduced in miniature. It all starts with the fairly old idea, of having the starter-motor drive the car on after a start-stop has taken place.

It's just not comprehensible, that an engine must first be started, which then, by using the clutch, enables the vehicle to pull off. Far more effective, is if the engine slots in smoothly, once the car and the respective masses are already in motion. As you can see, all these deliberations bring us back to the idea of a mild-hybrid.

Thereby of course, the present mechanical linking of the starter-motor with the flywheel becomes pretty senseless. Perhaps it could be installed, there where the generator is at present. The belt-drive would be strengthened so that e.g., the car would also be electrically driven when in a tail-back and up to urban speeds. One advantage here is: the air-conditioning and the cooling pump would also be driven, without needing electricity.

If this belt-drive could then also be separated from the crankshaft by a clutch, it would make new innovations like 'sailing' (where the internal combustion engine is shut down), even easier. Everything functions as normal, the interior remains pleasantly cool so that no-one would get the idea of leaving the sailing mode because it's too hot outside.

For a long time the possibility of a 43-volt supply was favored. According to Audi, this could now be a 48-volt supply, indeed, not only for the primary functions, but also for the entire hybrid-unit. Once again an advantage: Up to an amount of 60 volts, no protective measures are necessary, because there is no danger to humans. This of course, also reduces the costs of upgrading to an E-mobile.

Now, it doesn't necessarily have to be a belt-drive linking the E-motor/generator to the drive-train. Any one of the customary methods is also possible. Even those which offer an additional four-wheel-drive, which opens the possibility, that the ESP does not apply the brakes when cornering, but rather selectively drives the wheels.

Nevertheless, the strengthened belt-drive is an attractive idea, with a clutch similar to that of the air-con compressor, between the belt-drive and the crankshaft, it could be quite easily realised. Using a small deep- cycle lithium-ion battery having up to 1 kWh, this could be produced in mass-production and be had for a (hopefully) reasonable price. In the meantime we're speaking of a battery-weight of approx. 30 kg, of which more than half this weight is cancelled out by the no longer necessary 12-V lead-acid battery.

There are, by the way, reasons why the hybrid-drive, although an important step towards E-mobility, should not go on for too long. If you consider, that to obtain one kilogramme of (not recycled) copper, basically 450 kg of material must be mined, some of which has to then be stored somewhere as toxic Red-Sludge. Thus, you can imagine, just how much would be necessary for a hybrid-drive, which normally uses twice the amount of natural resources. This cannot be offset by the, partly only calculated, saving of fuel. 05/14