This adaptation of the HY-KERS system is similar to that previewed on Ferrari’s 599-based HY-KERS concept two years ago. Big layout differences: The distance between the engine and transaxle has been shortened to zero, the engine has four extra cylinders, and Ferrari has added a generator in place of the alternator. (Also worth mentioning: While this bears the KERS name, a true F1-style KERS system uses a flywheel to store energy for short time in the absence of batteries or transistors. This setup is more conventional.) The green box on top of the transmission is the hybrid power unit, and the other green unit hanging off the back is an electric motor designed to bolt up to Ferrari’s existing seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.
That rear motor is responsible for boosting output and recapturing energy during deceleration; it is attached to one of the two clutches in the transmission and therefore only works when the gears on that shaft (likely 1, 3, 5, and 7) are in use. The new front generator acts somewhat like a clutched alternator in that it can decouple during acceleration to reduce or eliminate drag. This is similar to the setup used in GM’s eAssist system, although the Ferrari motor is only used to generate power for the batteries and accessories and doesn’t feed it back into the powertrain.
Ferrari says it has reduced the weight and size of the electric components, which gets it closer to a target of 1 kW of additional power for every kilogram added (that works out to 0.6 hp per pound). It’s also expecting a 40-percent reduction in emissions (and, therefore, fuel consumption) with the revised system, compared to 30 percent in the prior iteration.
Like the V-12 in the new F12berlinetta, this system’s engine uses multispark ignition for increased combustion efficiency and employs variable-length intake runners.
ll of this sounds very familiar to the system described in a patent application we recently dissected, although that version was designed for a front-engine car with a 90-degree V engine, which, in Ferrari’s current lineup, points to the V-8–powered California. We expect hybridization to first show up on the carbon-fiber-intensive Enzo replacement (it may be referred to as F70) before being applied to other V-12 and V-8 cars.
