Ferrari previews Enzo successor's V12 HY-KERS powertrain [w/video]

Noah Joseph — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:01:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, Performance, Technology, Videos, Ferrari, Beijing Motor Show

Go back just a few years ago, and you'd easily conclude that Ferrari and hybrids would go together about as well as ice cream and pickles. But a lot's changed since then, and Ferrari is making no secret of the fact that it's developing hybrid powertrains of its own.

The first system it developed is the Kinetic Energy Recovery System, a type of regenerative braking device developed with its sister company, Magneti Marelli, for use in Formula One. That lead to a similar system installed in an experimental version of the 599 called the HY-KERS concept displayed at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. More recently reports surfaced that Ferrari had patented a more conventional hybrid powertrain system, leading to speculation that the KERS type had been abandoned for road-car use - most poignantly in the upcoming successor to the Enzo. But while Ferrari apparently pursues development of that more conventional hybrid system, it appears that its next mid-engined V12 hypercar will adopt an evolution of the HY-KERS system displayed on that green 599 two years back.

A revised HY-KERS system has just been announced by Ferrari at the Beijing Motor Show, where the Prancing Horse also marked the Asian debut of its new F12 Berlinetta. Ferrari says the new system - installed on a V12 engine mounted amidship - is more effective than the one that preceded it, bringing emissions down to 40 percent of what a conventional engine with the same output would produce (compared to a 30 percent reduction from the previous incarnation), all while bringing engineers closer to their target of producing one kilowatt of energy for every kilogram of weight the system adds.

As for the F12, Ferrari has revealed that its latest supercar set a lap time at Fiorano of one minute, 23 seconds, making it the company's quickest road car yet: a full second quicker than the 599 GTO it replaces, and about two seconds quicker than the Enzo, the 458 Italia and the 430 Scuderia. With that kind of progress, we can count on the new hybrid V12 hypercar to set an even quicker time still. Scroll down for the press release and video clip.

Continue reading Ferrari previews Enzo successor's V12 HY-KERS powertrain [w/video]

Ferrari previews Enzo successor's V12 HY-KERS powertrain [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Geneva 2010: Ferrari 599 HY-KERS is green in more ways than one

Noah Joseph — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 09:31:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupe, Hybrid, Performance, Geneva Motor Show, Ferrari

Ferrari 599 HY-KERS - Click above for high-res image gallery

Onlookers green with envy. Waiting twitchingly for the traffic light to turn green. A briefcase full of greenbacks. Even British Racing Green, if you're talking about a GT. You could find a few ways to associate Ferrari with the color green, but the environmental sense would be a bit of a stretch - historically speaking, at least. But the times, as one Mr. Zimmerman wrote, they are a-changing. Now even Maranello has been forced to get on board the "Heal the World" train. And this is the result.

Called the HY-KERS, what you're looking at is a rolling test bed. It's a hybrid, sure, but if you thought this was a haphazard application of a plug-and-play hybrid system, think again. The HY-KERS incorporates a roadgoing derivative of Ferrari's Kinetic Energy Recovery System - fancy-talk for regenerative braking - from last year's Formula One program.

Ferrari has worked diligently to optimize the benefits of the system to the 599's performance. The entire system weighs a modest 40 kilograms, partially offset by the obviation of the starter motor and conventional battery. Integrated into the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and mounted below the car's center of gravity, the system returns over 100 horsepower, supplementing the V12 engine under hard acceleration and it can even operate under full electric power when puttering around town. Of course, a Ferrari never putters around anything, save for when it takes its owner for a round of golf at the local country club.

Take a closer look in the gallery of live shots of the lime-green show car - complete with 599XX-style matte-black roof and mirrored floor - from the Geneva Motor Show floor below, and brush up on the details on the latest from the Italian technological powerhouse after the jump.

Gallery: Geneva 2010: Ferrari 599 HY-KERS

Gallery: Ferrari 599 HY-KERS

Continue reading Geneva 2010: Ferrari 599 HY-KERS is green in more ways than one

Geneva 2010: Ferrari 599 HY-KERS is green in more ways than one originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 02 Mar 2010 09:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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