GENEVA SHOW: Ferrari reveals green car

Author: headlineauto | 3 March 2010

A media scrum always forms around a new Ferrari - hybrid prototype is based on production 599 model

Ferrari used the Geneva motor show to unveil a hybrid future that it said would not only make its sports cars more efficient, but also aid their handling and performance.

Pulling the wraps off a lime green version of the 599, fitted with the prancing horse brand's new hybrid powertrain, CEO Luca di Montezemolo joked that you "don't normally see a green Ferrari" on the firm's Geneva stand but that this marked a "new direction."

Unsurprisingly the technology has been developed using lessons learned in formula one. But the first step to incorporating the systems in production cars will be to introduce a hybrid flywheel version of every Ferrari within three years. That alone is claimed to cut emissions by 35%.

A full Ferrari hybrid model is unlikely to appear in showrooms until 2015 at the earliest but intensive testing has already begun in earnest to ensure the powertrain fulfills requirements.

By 2018, Ferrari has stated, it expects its range average CO2 emissions to be around 240g/km, down from 310g/km now.

Sectors: Electric drive, Vehicle manufacturers, Vehicle manufacturing

Companies: Ferrari

View next/previous articles

3 Mar 2010 -

BELGIUM: Sweden, Austria, get extra year for EU auto funding

3 Mar 2010 -

GENEVA SHOW: New Mazda engines for Europe in 2012

Currently reading -

GENEVA SHOW: Ferrari reveals green car

3 Mar 2010 -

INDIA: Nissan in small car talks with Ashok Leyland - report

3 Mar 2010 -

JAPAN: Mazda begins to hire temps as production rises

There are currently 3 comments on this article

KERS was adding some 30 kg to the mass of the F1 car. It would be OK, if it were possible to balance the
car’s center of gravity. Unfortunately, this mass had to be in a specific location, therefore could not be used for that purpose. There was the reliability problem, but most of all, this mass had to be accelerated and decelerated constantly, which sucks power to do it and put some additional strain on brakes. The gain from using KERS was insignificant. The available spike of power to pass on the circuits where passing was very difficult or practically impossible; was the only advantage.
Recovering of energy during braking is important. It is huge amount of energy, and I think we should be working on it, but it would have to be done with minimum weight penalty, and maximum portion of kinetic energy of the car should be recovered. We are far from achieving either of these...

P.S. It is strange that CVTs were banned from F1, and KERS were not. I’m sure, one day, we will learn about why CVTs were banned… Too good publicity for CVTs? Possibly. I’m sure at the beginning it could be a bad publicity… public would see the leading cars withdrawing with transmission problem… Or maybe public would understand that CVTs could last much longer in their underpowered cars… Whatever the reason, I would like to know. Anybody has the answer to why CVTs were forbidden in F1?

Mark Kmicikiewicz said at 3:42 am, March 6, 2010

Reply to this comment

Related sector research

Global market review of electric vehicles - forecasts to 2018

This greatly expanded latest version of the popular just-auto report provides a comprehensive overview of the global electric vehicles sector, major manufacturers, technology trends and market forecas...

Related company research

Car Futures – Rethinking the automotive industry beyond the American model

This report is published by the auto industry research firm Trend Tracker at a time when the industry is about to embark on a period of possibly dramatic change. The prospect widely expected in the 1990s of an industry much the same shape as today’s ...

Global and China Automotive Tire Industry Report, 2009-2010

In 2008, the tire industry was in depression, companies suffered big drop or even loss of profit due to the natural rubber price inflation, and both the OE market and the RT replacement market plummeted due to the worldwide economy downturn in the se...