Friday, April 27, 2012

Ferrari Plans Hybrid Powertrain

Ferrari-Plans-Hybrid-Powertrain At the Beijing Auto Show, Ferrari announced that it plans to offer a hybrid powertrain in 2013. The exotic-car manufacturer showed off its gas/electric HY-KERS concept at the show and confirmed that the technology will be available in its yet-to-be-named Enzo replacement.

The concept's powertrain couples a 12-cylinder engine with two electric motors. The first is paired with the engine and a dual-clutch transmission; the second powers the auxiliary systems. A regenerative braking system helps capture and reuse the kinetic energy lost during braking. Samsung Electronics in South Korea will provide Ferrari’s lithium-ion battery cells

Ferrari says the hybrid will cut fuel consumption and carbon-dioxide emissions on the combined European cycle by 40%.

"The objective of this configuration is to create a sports car that, thanks to the integration with the electric motors, increases power while at the same time reducing emissions." Ferrari said in a statement.

At the auto show, the automaker revealed that the project is no longer in its experimental phase and will be developed for production during the next several months.

Kicking Tires