McLaren appear set to use KERS in Australia opener
The system is one of the most advanced concepts seen in Formula One as it provides drivers with a short burst of power on each lap from energy stored under braking.
It has had its teething problems, but McLaren appear in an advanced stage of development compared to a number of their rivals who have made it clear they will not be on the grid with KERS in Melbourne.
That is likely to give Kovalainen and current world champion Lewis Hamilton a distinct advantage at the Albert Park circuit.
"Potentially, but obviously I don't know where other people are," said Kovalainen.
"My feeling comes from how well we're operating it at the track, and that's why I'm 99% confident we should be using it.
"We are now hitting a stage where we can run it all day, reliably, without any problems, at the maximum power.
"So unless something goes dramatically wrong, I don't see a reason why we shouldn't run it.
"Hopefully it should be an advantage for us. Certainly it's going to potentially give you a big benefit from the start to the first corner.
"Hopefully other people don't get it and we get it, but there are other good teams around and I wouldn't under-estimate anyone.
"I wouldn't be surprised if many of the other teams had it as well."
Ferrari, BMW Sauber and Renault are those other teams looking for the system to be in their cars in Melbourne. SportingLife