Kinetic energy is the mechanical work which need to reduce an object¡¯s speed to zero. When an object in motion is slowed down, the kinetic energy will transformed into some other form of energy. When a vehicle brakes, its kinetic energy is converted into heat. Many vehicle industry  in the automotive filed  are now examining solutions for harnessing kinetic energy instead of releasing it as surplus heat.

¡°If kinetic energy can be exploited to a greater extent, it may help cut fuel consumption. This will benefit both the environment and the industry¡¯s economy, something that is very important today as fuel costs are becoming an increasingly heavy burden on many haulage firms,¡± relates Anders Eriksson, who was responsible for the development of I-See.

And it is precisely this that Volvo Trucks has succeeded in developing with its new I-See solution. The system harnesses the truck¡¯s own kinetic energy to ¡°push¡± the vehicle up hills. On downhill gradients the same energy is used for acceleration.