Tag Archives for ferrari hybrid
Ferrari boss says more efficient V6 could be added to engine lineup
Filed under: MPG, Ferrari, Green Daily
Ferrari and fuel efficiency are two terms which reveal few hits if entered into Google’s search engine. On the other hand, Ferrari and supercar will give you page upon page of results well worth looking at. But times are changing and the drive for more efficient vehicles is even forcing automakers like Ferrari to search for solutions. Autocar recently had the chance to speak with Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo on the topic of efficiency and he admitted that the company is working on many solutions to improve fuel economy and reduce emissions.
One solution which Ferrari is openly pursuing is engine downsizing. Ferrari will likely slot in a downsized V6 powerplant to help the company achieve higher efficiency. Autocar asked Montezemolo about the possibility of a V6-powered Ferrari and he replied, “An engine smaller than a V8? Why not?” Six-cylinder engines are not foreign to the brand, just unexplored in recent years as the company has predominantly moved towards bigger V8, V10 and V12 powerplants. Montezemolo did add that any move towards increased efficiency will not spoil the brand’s amazing heritage. So, if Montezemolo is right, then we can expect the unexpected: fuel-efficient supercars. Imagine that!
Photos by Sam Abuelsamid / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.
[Source: Autocar]
Ferrari boss says more efficient V6 could be added to engine lineup originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Sun, 13 Jun 2010 08:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Ferrari Boss Felisa: “Hybrid means we can protect the V12″
Filed under: Hybrid, Ferrari, Lightweight
In the Eighties, you wanted your MTV. Now that you’re a little older and a lot richer, you want your naturally aspirated V12 Italian cars, and both Ferrari and Lamborghini plan to deliver. The raging bulls at Sant’ Agata are incorporating more lightweight materials into their cars in order to get over emissions hurdles, but Ferrari has different plans, likely including a roadgoing iteration of its kinetic energy recovery system, as seen fitted to its 599 HY-KERS concept car at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year.
According to Autocar‘s quote from Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa, “Hybrid means we can protect the V12,” suggesting Ferrari believes its unassisted 12-cylinder will live on. Autocar‘s theory is that the next Enzo could see its V12 paired with an electric motor to keep the government watchdogs happy. Of course, this contradicts Autocar‘s Ferrari piece from not even ten days ago when, after speaking with Felisa, it wrote, “Felisa also hinted that the new Ferrari Enzo will be powered by a direct-injection twin-turbo V8 when it is launched in 2012.”
It could be that Ferrari will use a naturally aspirated V12, and only not in the Enzo – the F40 was a V8 while the Testarossa/512 received the big-engine treatment. Frankly, we’re all for a hybrid Enzo, though. Provided they can keep the weight down, a silent supercar at low speeds with 600-plus horses that could bolt at a half-second’s notice would make the most awesome getaway car ever.
Live Photos: Noah Joseph / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.
[Source: Autocar]
Ferrari Boss Felisa: “Hybrid means we can protect the V12″ originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 21 May 2010 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Ferrari ‘forced’ to add hybrid, emissions concerns not ‘real’
Filed under: Hybrid, Performance, Government/Legal, Ferrari, Luxury, Racing
By now, you’ve likely seen the various hybrid vehicles shown off by Ferrari, both for racing and for street-legal models in concept form. Purists might be more than a bit put off by the idea of a supposedly eco-friendly vehicle wearing the famed Prancing Horse badge, and it seems that Ferrari head Amadeo Felisa commiserates with them.
Speaking to Autocar at the recent Beijing Motor Show, Felisa had some rather interesting remarks on the future of his company, notably regarding the powerplants needed to meet future emissions and fuel mileage requirements. Says Felisa:
Our customers are looking for the essence of Ferrari – the emotion, the performance, the technology and so on. The way in which we fix emissions is not their problem but ours. If we are not able to fix it, only then will it become a problem for them.
That’s rational, we’d say. But here’s the point where Felisa’s comments seem sure to garner a few raised eyebrows amongst the environmental set:
[Hybrids will come in] 2015, if we are forced to by the [government] regulations. The issue of emissions for Ferrari is more a political one than real one. Lowering emissions of every Ferrari will not save the planet, but it will cost us a lot of money… In the next five to 10 years, hybrid technology will develop and maybe something else will come up. Maybe it’ll be hydrogen, but for our cars only hybrid is ready.
So, hydrogen isn’t ready for Ferrari (or vice versa) and the only reason the sportscar manufacturer is even looking at hybrids is because the various governments of the world are making them. Oh yeah, and nothing with more than two doors. At least that much we can all agree upon.
Gallery: Ferrari 599 HY-KERS
[Source: Autocar]
Ferrari ‘forced’ to add hybrid, emissions concerns not ‘real’ originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 07 May 2010 19:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Maserati to follow Ferrari down path of hybrid sportscars?
Filed under: Hybrid, Performance, Maserati, Rumormill, Luxury
What’s the world coming to when two of Italy’s most storied supercar manufacturers – we’re talking Ferrari and Lamborghini here, in case you couldn’t tell – are planning to launch hybrid automobiles? Well, actually that’d be three of Italy’s most storied automakers, now that rumors of just such a Maserati are making the rounds on the Interwebs.
We’d agree with the boys at Inside Line when they suggest that Maserati will likely borrow hybrid technology from fellow Fiat-owned Ferrari, especially since the two business units already share a number of drivetrain components. If that’s the case, the three-pointed Trident brand could potentially get a version of the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS for short) that Ferrari showed off on its 599 HY-KERS earlier this week at the Geneva Motor Show.
Word has it that Maserati is also joining Ferrari in its quest to shed a few unwanted pounds on its automobiles, which will have dual benefits for both brands – namely, improvements in both performance and fuel efficiency. Now there’s a win-win scenario if we’ve ever heard one.
[Source: Inside Line]
Maserati to follow Ferrari down path of hybrid sportscars? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
