Confirmed: Ferrari testing hybrid powertrain in 599 prototype

One of the stated reasons that automakers send prototype race cars around tracks at high rates of speed is to further the development of new technology for their road-going automobiles. There's no higher form of automotive motorsport than Formula 1, so it stands to reason that fuel-saving advancements like the kinetic energy recovery hybrid systems that F1 is currently in the midst of implementing will someday make it to production cars. According to Ferrari president Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, the Italian automaker is already testing its KERS system in a prototype based on the 599 chassis.

There's some speculation that the Dale Earnhardt edition 599XX at the Geneva Motor Show may have some form of the KERS system installed, but that's not confirmed. With this technology, energy that would otherwise be lost to braking can be stored and reused the next time the vehicle accelerates, thereby boosting both performance and efficiency, and that's something we can all get behind.


[Source: Motor Authority]