Ferrari’s hybrid future?
#1
07-07-2008, 03:29 PM
Ferrari’s hybrid future? Ferrari is planning to cut the CO2 emissions of its cars by 40 per cent before 2012, and now the company’s president, Luca di Montezemolo has suggested that hybrid power will be part of that process.
“We are currently working on the development of a Ferrari that will use alternative energy sources based on what we are doing at the moment in Formula One,” di Montezemolo told a German newspaper.
His comment will be seen as confirmation that Ferrari is developing a road version of the Kinetic Energy Regeneration System (KERS) that the Ferrari F1 team will be using from next season.
This is a ‘mild hybrid’ system which stores energy during braking and then uses it to improve performance and reduce fuel consumption.
Future Ferraris are likely to be fitted with a small battery to harvest this regenerated energy, which will be used to power a small electric motor. The motor can be used to both boost acceleration and to keep the transmission spinning quickly to speed up gear changes.
Mild hybrid integration – in combination with lighter cars – should enable Ferrari to downsize its engines. Turbocharged V6 powerplants are thought to be a strong possibility, and these could be fuelled with a bio-ethanol blend fuel to further reduce equivalent CO2 emissions.
This is a logical future step for Ferrari. The company has already committed itself to reducing the environmental impact of its models, and the new California roadster will likely be the most fuel efficient car in the company’s history.
Luca di Montezemolo has previously insisted that any Ferrari using green technology will still be “fundamentally a Ferrari.” Company insiders suggest that the first road-going Ferrari to get KERS technology will likely be the range-topping Enzo replacement, which will act as a technical showcase for the brand’s future direction.
“We are currently working on the development of a Ferrari that will use alternative energy sources based on what we are doing at the moment in Formula One,” di Montezemolo told a German newspaper.
His comment will be seen as confirmation that Ferrari is developing a road version of the Kinetic Energy Regeneration System (KERS) that the Ferrari F1 team will be using from next season.
This is a ‘mild hybrid’ system which stores energy during braking and then uses it to improve performance and reduce fuel consumption.
Future Ferraris are likely to be fitted with a small battery to harvest this regenerated energy, which will be used to power a small electric motor. The motor can be used to both boost acceleration and to keep the transmission spinning quickly to speed up gear changes.
Mild hybrid integration – in combination with lighter cars – should enable Ferrari to downsize its engines. Turbocharged V6 powerplants are thought to be a strong possibility, and these could be fuelled with a bio-ethanol blend fuel to further reduce equivalent CO2 emissions.
This is a logical future step for Ferrari. The company has already committed itself to reducing the environmental impact of its models, and the new California roadster will likely be the most fuel efficient car in the company’s history.
Luca di Montezemolo has previously insisted that any Ferrari using green technology will still be “fundamentally a Ferrari.” Company insiders suggest that the first road-going Ferrari to get KERS technology will likely be the range-topping Enzo replacement, which will act as a technical showcase for the brand’s future direction.
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