Anyone know why Torotrak is up 80% in the last two months.

I was in London a month ago and many of their buses already have a stop/start system which seems to operate on KERS, so there are already competitors out there which are up and running with their product. Seems TRK are late to the market.

Just to clarify that stop/start systems are not what Flybrid KERS is all about, although it can be a spin off benefit.

'Flybrid' KERS (kinetic energy recovery system) captures energy from braking, stores this in a carbon flywheel, and then releases this energy when it's most beneficial, usually when the vehicle is pulling away from a stop.

The first bus is being successfully run at Gillingham, Kent by Arriva, with more planned soon. Torotrak always seem to run late though !!

At just 10p, this share could prove to be the bargain of the year, but still a big gamble.

HARRYCAT - did you discover what system the London Busses were using - or is it a big button marked "Eco-Bus" which Boris has fitted in view of press photographers. . .we learn that Oxford Street is the most polluted in the World ( mainly NOX from diesels, where else?), so the greatest fix for this is not more "kit" - rather a sweeping destruction of the Bus-fleet that burns diesel.


March"15. - a Bargain of the year?
-Well by June/Jy"15, TRK suggests it has money only to continue until Sept ( DYOR-see Co Release ~30June2015.).
Furthermore to fix this they are continuing their reorganisation and devaluing existing shares in a 1+9p split ( I read it)- so it's not quite a CONsolidation, but their prospectus is far from clear, to me.
Add-in the raft of new shares at 7p and I suspect we shall see further Investor misery.

-It's not as though this company has a good track record, is it?

EDIT (21July2016)- Oh dear 4p and Execs are awarding themselves Options- DYOR - it's about time this Co. made one gearbox and sold it on EB - then the Public might know if it really existed . . . . This business has been putting out platitudes for 20-years after it was ditched by BTG - DYOR. What a waste of effort all round - except for Execs, who'd be unemployed elsewhere . . . . Grr!

Not done any more research, but spotted this yesterday:

StockMarketWire.com
Torotrak has substantially widened its H1 pretax loss to GBP9.8m, from GBP3.8m. Revenue was down to GBP1.2m, from GBP1.6m. The results included a GBP6.0m charge for exceptional items, from GBP93,000.

Chairman Nick Barter said:
"The main bus and off-highway KERS programmes remain on track to meet the technical and commercial targets required to achieve commercial launch in collaboration with our Tier 1 partner.

"On V-Charge, the initial results from on-engine testing conducted by the University of Bath confirm the simulated improvements in fuel efficiency and performance. Discussions with potential Tier 1 licensees across our technology portfolio continue to move forward.

"Overall we are on track to deliver our plans as laid out in the Prospectus issued in June 2015."

Low Cost Mechanical Bus KERS en route to production in mid 2016
Torotrak, a leading developer and supplier of emissions reduction and fuel efficiency technology for vehicles, and Wrightbus confirm the completion of the in-service trial of a Wrightbus StreetLite midi bus fitted with Torotrak's Flybrid mechanical kinetic energy recovery system (KERS). The trial was made possible by, and conducted with, Arriva, one of the largest bus operators in the UK.

The trial was conducted on a standard bus route in Gillingham, Kent from March 2015. It successfully demonstrated the performance of the Flybrid KERS under real-world operating conditions including the capture, storage and release of energy from the brakes and the drivability of the system. The learnings from the trial have already proven invaluable in selecting the operating strategy for the volume production system, which will be a second generation design.

Already undergoing detailed testing on rigs and in a new Euro VI StreetLite bus, this new KERS design is intended to further improve bus fuel efficiency and reduces the KERS weight and cost, helping to improve the bus operator payback. The new design has reduced parts count and system weight by 30% and 80kg respectively and incorporates a simpler 2x2x2 clutched flywheel transmission system reducing 'coast down' losses and improving efficiency during torque transfer.

In collaboration with its global Tier 1 manufacturing partner, Torotrak is on track to commence production of bus KERS systems from mid 2016 onwards. Tier 2 suppliers across the UK and other parts of the EU have been nominated and the manufacture of production tooling is currently underway.

Adam Robson, Torotrak Group CEO, said: "This is a very exciting time for the Group with the bus KERS project that started in 2012 going into commercial production from the middle of this year. I am delighted with the progress we have made and we look forward to delivering our first systems to Wrightbus during Q3 2016."

HARRYCAT - repect yr knowledgw on these things - but is there any sign that TRK will ever be a good investment - they've pootled about since Otto had his Big Idea and TRN has done little except bandwagon-jumping since.
The sp is 3p now - and no-doubt about to pass round the Bagging-Bowl further diluting LT investors..... you'd think if this CVT ( I'm very sceptical over KERS btw.)...saves about 20% fuel CVT would be a no-brainer for stop-start busses. A modestly constructed unit could be retro-fitted and either controlled by an experienced driver -or under computer control as so much is in Car technology nowadays. A fleet of two should do the trick - so how-come they never seem to get anywhere?
The 2015/6 KERS/Kent experiment may be good-but the sp says otherwise...?
Their big-deal with US-supplier (years ago) strikes me it came to nowt - so I suspect it was a face-saving deal where both parties were "doing something" - and then forgotten . . . . I don't think I've never seen a commercial application to become mainstream in the 20-years they've been blowing smoke over investors - Give me a short ans, will do. Regards
EDIT-16Dec2016)- sp ~2.5p tell us it's begging-bowl time; as a deal is pushed as far as 2018 ( News -DYOR)..... Oh deary . . . I suppose the only time we'll see any mechanical thing owned by TRK, is when the OffReceiver piles it, ready for auction.
It's quite evident there is nothing TRK that works . . otherwise why don't we see it? That being the case, it's not possible it's being kept "secret" for commercial reasons - it's being kept quiet . . . . because no-one is interested.
Meanwhile fuel-based engines are being phased-out in favour of Electric, since this is so green, you can paint your livery with it..... Grr.
EDIT (22May2017)- sp below 1p and Leyland site staff have been sacked (DYOR).... so Co is holding a GM at far away Leyland, where Dirs will cry that it's not their fault, sob, sob. Clearly the writing has been on the wall far too long - these Dir have no-idea what to do to make this a stable profitable business.... Shame that they are in charge of their Salary+Pensions . . . as I doubt they are worth even half of it.
EDIT (6Dec2017-sp0.07p down 36% looks like there are maybe just 12-day of TRK.
Totally mismanaged and far too much shilly-shally Should have been selling 20 years ago. Such a shame for those that invested at £5 (briefly).