Battery regeneration: Whenever the driver releases the accelerator pedal or applies the brakes, and the battery is insufficiently charged, the two electric motors act as generators and feed energyrecovered from the brakes into the lithium-ion battery.
The new developments include a switch to slick tyres from the grooved ones of recent years, and the introduction of the kinetic energy recovery system (Kers), which stores energyrecovered from the rear axle during braking and converts it to supply a brief power boost.
Oil prices recovered substantial losses suffered last week after the International Energy Agency (IEA) announced it would be releasing 60 million barrels of crude from its emergency reserves.
Weaker oil prices--crude had fallen slightly Friday morning on the Nymex, though it had recovered later in the afternoon--contributed to the decline among Russia's energy-heavy exchanges, as did lingering concerns about liquidity in Russia.