| The Hybrid Ferrari | ||
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(Tue 02 Mar 10) It looks like a reasonably standard 599 GTB Fiorano, but the car you see here is in fact a vettura laboratorio, or experimental vehicle, which like so many other cars on display at this year's Geneva Show uses hybrid technology.
Along with the normal V12 petrol engine, this car uses a system known as HY-KERS which involves a battery pack and an electric motor driving through the seven-speed twin-clutch semi-automatic gearbox. In town, the motor can look after itself, reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions to zero until the engine kicks back in. According to Ferrari, the whole HY-KERS system weighs 40kg but the output of the electric motor is 100bhp, which means that the project easily beats the target of adding 1bhp for every kilogram of extra weight. All of the hybrid stuff is also mounted as low down as possible, so the centre of gravity is actually closer to the ground than it is in the regular 599 GTB. Comment on this story on Facebook or Twitter. |
