Lancashire-based engineering company Torotrak won the SMMT Award for Automotive Innovation 2014 with its Flybrid KERS (kinetic energy recovery system).

Designed for use on buses and commercial vehicles, it beat entries from the Dearman Engine Company and Jaguar Land Rover, both of which were Highly Commended. The device uses a mechanical flywheel hybrid system to store energy from a vehicle’s motion, before it is transferred back to the drive system and used to power the vehicle.

Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive and one of the judges, said: “The UK is one of the world’s leaders in automotive engineering and R&D, a fact epitomised by Torotrak’s Flybrid KERS. It is not only a genuinely innovative concept, but also at an advanced stage of development with huge potential to influence the wider automotive sector.”

Torotrak chief executive Jeremy Deering said: “Our system will be around one quarter the cost of a conventional battery-electric hybrid, as well as substantially smaller and around a quarter of the weight. Third-party validated test results have been achieved with a vehicle provided by Wrightbus, indicating the potential to reduce emissions and substantially lower operating costs.”