Discover and share the best of the web!
Learn more about Digg by taking the tour.
Ferrari Planning To Build A Hybrid Sportscar
devicedaily.com — In a recent interview with German newspaper Welt am Sonntag, Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo said that they are planning to reduce CO2 levels by 40% before 2012. They will make it possible thanks to a new hybrid technology and Ferrari might build cars powered by turbocharged V6 engines which are smaller and more fuel-efficient.
Sanduu- 667 diggs
- digg it
- domfosnz, on 07/08/2008, -14/+9I don't think any manufacturers have much choice about doing this sort of thing now. If they don't have cheaper running cars, they will lose market share.
- mywhitenoise, on 07/08/2008, -0/+25Dude...it's a Ferrari.
I doubt potential buyers are going to say "$4.50 a gallon, and this thing only gets 6MPG?". How much would a hybrid Ferrari get anyway, 12MPG? - AlienX3.5, on 07/08/2008, -0/+17If you can afford a Ferrari I don't think paying for gas is going to be a problem
- mywhitenoise, on 07/08/2008, -0/+25Dude...it's a Ferrari.
- skewl, on 07/08/2008, -6/+7jesus i thought i would never see the day when ferrari made a hybrid...just goes to show how gas really does affect ferrari owners..
- santaliqueur, on 07/08/2008, -0/+21Gas does not affect Ferrari owners.
- mywhitenoise, on 07/08/2008, -0/+10I'll pay $250,000 for my car, but there's no way in hell I'm spending $5 a gallon!
- kolyana, on 07/08/2008, -1/+7Top Gear did a show recently and took half a dozen supercars around their track; each had but 1 Gallon of gas and the objective was to see how far they'd run.
The Ferrari managed slightly over 1 mile.
Yes, slightly over 1 mile a gallon.- Drazzim12, on 07/08/2008, -0/+4That doesn't make any sense at all. Assuming a tank capacity of about 18 gallons, are you saying that some Ferraris (or any car) have a range of 18 miles? I don't think so. Even F1 cars average better than 1mpg.
- kolyana, on 07/08/2008, -0/+2Here's the video -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZx3zYEhHzQ
Acknowledged that this is taking the cars around a track at speed, but even so, the results are alarming.
The video is also well worth watching. - ryusen, on 07/08/2008, -0/+0the same ep also showed that a M3 gets better MPG than a Prius... at top speed around their track. I'm sure the ferrari would do better if it was driven more normally.
as for the F1 car, it's also super light and much more aerodynamic. - kolyana, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1Well the thing with the Prius is the way you drive it is EVERYTHING. They didn't rag that thing around the track, they were not racing (with the Prius), they just drove at a constant speed. Thing is the Prius needs to be stationary or be moving downhill in order to switch in and out of battery/engine mode (or thus is my understanding), but at a constant speed with no stopping, it's essentially the opposite of what a Prius owner should be doing. Clarkson did followup the segment with this nugget of information: it's not what you have, but how you drive it.
But with the Ferrari's performance, I suspect that whatever you do it's going to be mind-numbingly bad on the gas mileage.
- ryusen, on 07/08/2008, -0/+0based on what it said about the article, Ferrari is more concerned about emissions than fuel economy.
- mareacaspica, on 07/08/2008, -1/+15definitely a chick magnet
- damircea, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1A chick magnet and eco-friendly too!
- pirlok, on 07/08/2008, -0/+3I am sure Ferrari should integrate some solar panels because those would look really cool. Unfortunately, we will have to wait until 2015 to see this masterpiece in action.
- Pingpongpie, on 07/08/2008, -3/+29WTF - I want my future Ferrari to be stinky and polluting, its a Ferrari fro Gods sake, not a damn Toyota.
- cnot3, on 07/08/2008, -0/+2Honestly, a Ferrari is supposed to be built to be as fast and fun to drive as humanly possible. Increasing their fuel economy from 4 to 6 mpg should not be a concern.
- GoatMonkey2112, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1Just because it's a hybrid doesn't mean it's going to be slow.
- cnot3, on 07/08/2008, -0/+2Honestly, a Ferrari is supposed to be built to be as fast and fun to drive as humanly possible. Increasing their fuel economy from 4 to 6 mpg should not be a concern.
- RegularJohn, on 07/08/2008, -3/+16Building a Ferrari Hybrid is a sacrilege....
- ifnotme, on 07/08/2008, -0/+13Only if the performance suffers. Electric motors have a flat torque curve and so they can improve acceleration dramatically.
- bromac, on 07/08/2008, -0/+5And they have a better horsepower/weight ratio.
It's just that pesky battery problem. Right now, the energy storage density of petrol still kicks the snot out of li-on batteries. Once you get more efficient and lighter batteries, electric motors have the advantage. - slvrbullet87, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1In a pure electric maybe, but since there are 2 "engines" in the car they cause considerable weight gain that makes them less useful for speed in a hybrid
- Slovenian6474, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1slvrbullet87, I'd leave that up to the engineers at Ferrari. Going by their past performances, I'm not one to doubt what they can do. Given that price isn't exactly an obstacle for a Ferrari owner, a massively expensive but lightweight battery wouldn't pose as much of a problem as it would for the average Prius owner.
- ryusen, on 07/08/2008, -0/+0according to fast lane daily yesterday the "hybrid" drive is going to be based on what they are designing for their F1 cars, that use a flywheel to store the energy rather than batteries. sounds neat.. not a whole lot of long term storage, but workable for stop and go w/o adding too much weight.
- bromac, on 07/08/2008, -0/+5And they have a better horsepower/weight ratio.
- suckanucka, on 07/08/2008, -1/+3You sir, are uninformed.
- Drazzim12, on 07/08/2008, -0/+2It's a sacrilege in a classic Ferrari sense, but honestly, modern Ferraris have more electronics in them now than Enzo could have ever imagined (or wanted.) First people complained of driver aids, then paddle shifting, hybrid technology is only a logical progression. As long as Ferrari is on the bleeding edge of performance, I wouldn't worry.
- AutoXer, on 07/08/2008, -0/+2Do a google search on "KERS f1"... You'd be surprised what you find.
- ifnotme, on 07/08/2008, -0/+13Only if the performance suffers. Electric motors have a flat torque curve and so they can improve acceleration dramatically.
- arkarthicked, on 07/08/2008, -2/+2Hybrid Ferrari? distance dream!
- hep2djive, on 07/08/2008, -5/+7I'd get one in a freakin MINUTE...
- Soulbow2, on 07/08/2008, -0/+2I'd get one as soon as I find $300,000.
- ToeCracker, on 07/08/2008, -4/+5No such thing as a bad Ferrari.
- ritubpant, on 07/08/2008, -3/+2sweeeeeeeeeeet
- mentol, on 07/08/2008, -2/+4what about a solar Ferrari, that would really kick ass
- kingfoot, on 07/08/2008, -1/+1or methane Ferrari?
- burjzyntski, on 07/08/2008, -0/+0A Solari?
- Drazzim12, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1Or a steam Ferrari
- JePat, on 07/08/2008, -2/+1I've got to get me one of these!
- borez, on 07/08/2008, -0/+6I wonder when we'll start seeing Hybrid superbikes?
- soursandy, on 07/08/2008, -0/+2Will it come in periwinkle or chartreuse?
- Yimyack, on 07/08/2008, -0/+3Wow! A whopping 18 miles to the gallon city
Sorry Ferrari Tesla stole your thunder.- Slovenian6474, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1So did Toyota if you go that route. I'd put all my money on the Ferrari in a race though. Something about Telsa's 125mph top speed...
- mleh, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1Not to mention pit stops in a Ferrari are marginally faster than waiting for the Tesla's batteries to recharge (which take, what, 8 minutes minimum?).
- Slovenian6474, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1So did Toyota if you go that route. I'd put all my money on the Ferrari in a race though. Something about Telsa's 125mph top speed...
- ruddy, on 07/08/2008, -0/+6If I have enough money for a farari, I don't think I'm gonna be worried about gas...
"Oh yeah, this battery goes from empty to full in 4.3 seconds. "- SkateItsGreat, on 07/08/2008, -0/+0Just because you have lots of money doesnt make the money worth less to you. People who think that they can treat dollars as pennies once they are rich aren't going to be rich for a very long time.
- ruddy, on 07/08/2008, -0/+2then why would you buy a Ferrari in the first place?
- GoatMonkey2112, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1They are talking about a flywheel, not a battery.
- SkateItsGreat, on 07/08/2008, -0/+0Just because you have lots of money doesnt make the money worth less to you. People who think that they can treat dollars as pennies once they are rich aren't going to be rich for a very long time.
- tattoojoo, on 07/08/2008, -0/+7great. add this to the list of 'other ferraris i can't afford'.
- winmywii, on 07/08/2008, -2/+9I'm a moron
- Erythroxylum, on 07/08/2008, -0/+4Even supercar manufacturers aren't immune from the worrying trend of uselessly, arbitrarily cutting carbon dioxide emissions.
- Metellus, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1Why is it worrying? Even if you're right and cutting carbon dioxide emissions was useless (you're not), how would it hurt you if people did?
- dha07030, on 07/08/2008, -1/+1I'll take two, no wait three
- FeloniusMonkey, on 07/08/2008, -1/+2...as if cleaner emissions and better fuel efficiency are going to suddenly help them sell more Ferraris???
- pstroll, on 07/08/2008, -1/+1Fuel efficient Ferrari?? Does it get like 9mpg?
- shadowfoxmi, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1something doesn't quite add up there...
- MrZaiko, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1The word oxymoron just came to my head...
Next up: Nascar. oh wait a min...
Next up: Monster Trucks! ***** yea! - bromac, on 07/08/2008, -0/+2Makes sense.
Electric motors have a better horsepower/weight ratio than gas engines. It's just that storing the energy for electric motors takes heavy batteries, and gas is more energy dense. Once li-on batteries get lighter, electric motors will have the advantage.- Slovenian6474, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1Not to mention the instant torque of an electric motor.
I don't really see this as Ferrari trying to green as much as Ferrari trying to make a faster car. KERS or Kinetic Energy Recycling System seems like a nice way to conserve energy to release when it's needed. Why not take the energy wasted to heat when braking, store it, and use to add some extra horsepower to accelerate quicker. - Number23, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1"Once li-on batteries get lighter, electric motors will have the advantage."
Until I try to refill my battery - slvrbullet87, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1add the weight of electric motors
- Slovenian6474, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1Not to mention the instant torque of an electric motor.
- cnot3, on 07/08/2008, -3/+1Ferrari should NOT do this. It would be a bastardization of the brand. Sacrificing any performance for fuel economy is not what Ferrari is about.
- GoatMonkey2112, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1Who says they are sacrificing performance? I guarantee they won't do it if it's not fast as *****.
- DeFex, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1imagine how much the replacement batteries will be.
- dannytehmanny, on 07/08/2008, -0/+2this is not true Ferrari released a statement earlier that they had no plans to build a hybrid Ferrari
- IronDonut, on 07/08/2008, -3/+3***** this. Some things are meant to be bad;
Tequila
Harleys
Catholic school girls
Half cooked red meat
1960s Muscle Cars
12 gauge shotguns
By making them "good", "clean", or "safe" you've eliminated their very reason for being. To mess with the internal combustion glory that is a Ferrari is to make it into another soulless Japanese appliance on wheels.
Disgusting.- lisawylde, on 07/11/2008, -0/+1I agree that a hybrid sports car is kind of foolish, but don't knock the "soulless Japanese appliances." Most people just need reliable transportation that is easy on gas, and they deliver.
http://www.buyingadvice.com/
- lisawylde, on 07/11/2008, -0/+1I agree that a hybrid sports car is kind of foolish, but don't knock the "soulless Japanese appliances." Most people just need reliable transportation that is easy on gas, and they deliver.
- DaDrake, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1I can't wait to here some Hollywood star with 7 air-conditioned mansions, 3 jumbo jets, and an Olympic size athletic training center built on wetlands say "Oh ... I love the environment... see... I bought a hybrid.... that gives me 20 carbon credits each day I drive it".
- dacman61, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1Hehehehehe Funny... Carbon Credits are the biggest scam ever, next to global warming!
- dalittle, on 07/08/2008, -0/+2Seems like a no brainer. Electric cars have instant power to the wheels so if you want to make a fast car seems like a great way to do it.
- Slovenian6474, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1Hybrid sounds like a great idea for a fast car. You can have the instant torque of the electric for take off and the gas engine for the higher speeds. Telsa's and Wrightspeed's all electric have AMAZING 0-60 but top out at unimpressive speeds. It would be a difficult balancing act to get both the benefits of the electric motor and gas engine without taking a massive hit in weight.
- zmigliozzi, on 07/08/2008, -0/+3That is stupid and a slap to the face of every car enthusiast especially ferrari owners. Talk about ruining your image. You buy a ferrari for a reason. Enzo would roll in his grave if he heard this. Talk about emasculation.
- davewashere, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1Is there any way we can harvest some energy from that rolling motion?
- TexasShiv, on 07/08/2008, -0/+3A V6 Ferrari. ***** off.
- Vodd9, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1Hybrid sportscar sounds like an oxymoron to me.
- Soulbow2, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1Tesla Roadster?
- Slovenian6474, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1Tesla Roadster has a top speed of 125 mph. Good luck not getting passed on the straightaways.
- Soulbow2, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1Tesla Roadster?
- Soulbow2, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1Maybe it will look like the new Ferrari California.
- LoudMusic, on 07/08/2008, -0/+3I think the Digg members who have negative comments are missing the point here.
"We are currently working on the development of a Ferrari that will use alternative energy sources and which will be based on what we are doing at the moment in Formula 1."
The technology they're talking about has a side effect of being eco-friendly. The POINT of the technology is to deliver more power. There is a ***** load of energy wasted during deceleration. This is just another technology to turn that into added power during acceleration.- Slovenian6474, on 07/08/2008, -0/+2Bingo. People think "fuel efficient" when they hear hybrid. The point of a hybrid isn't always to achieve higher mpg.
- Jareth86, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1Guess I should go out and buy a Ferrari sports car?
The real owners of this country want to keep fuel efficient cars as unfordable as possible for as long as possible. That's why all the electric and hydrogen powered cars are $100,000 sports cars, and why we will never see affordable ones becoming commonplace in our lifetime. - IronDonut, on 07/08/2008, -2/+0Hot Rods and Muscle Cars are different.
The most important personality aspect of an American car is the v-8 engine. Snorty, powerful, lumpy, politically incorrect combustion music. The best engine sound ever this side of a Rolls Royce Merlin.
What do the Japanese cars have to counter with? The Toyota/Lexus v-8? Smooth. Decently powerful. Very reliable. But boring and soulless. The v-6 in the Infinity? It sounds like a beaver being tortured.
Then you have the Corvette Z06... 427ci of aluminum small block glory. Name a Japanese car to match the Z06. There isn't one.- Slovenian6474, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1GT-R
- IronDonut, on 07/09/2008, -0/+0Not even close. Less horsepower. Less torque. More weight. And a laggy-throttle-response-engine that sounds like an angry hoover.
- Slovenian6474, on 07/11/2008, -0/+1but it not only matches the Z06 on performance, it beats it.
- IronDonut, on 07/09/2008, -0/+0Not even close. Less horsepower. Less torque. More weight. And a laggy-throttle-response-engine that sounds like an angry hoover.
- Slovenian6474, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1GT-R
- Bjp494, on 07/08/2008, -1/+0great. they want to ruin another great thing for the stupid environment.
- star7, on 07/08/2008, -1/+0Maybe Hybrid sportscar will look like the new Ferrari California.
http://www.autonovosti.com.ua - AnthonyN, on 07/08/2008, -0/+2I thought a huge part of Ferrari appeal was the engineering prowess and design, not just mindless horsepower. Efficiency is a huge tenet of design. If they can make new and kick-ass cars with more modern power plants, isn't that a good thing? Obviously performance will still be the main objective.
If you just want mindless and inefficient internal combustion, buy a pony car. - GoatMonkey2112, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1The system Ferrari will be using should be similar to the one described here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KERS
Max Mosley of the FIA has announced that all cars will become hybrid by 2013, along with other changes to the vehicles. The governing body of international motor sport, the FIA, has allowed the use of 60 kW "Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems" (KERS), in the regulations for the 2009 Formula One season.[5][6]
Automobile Club de l'Ouest, the organizer behind the annual 24 Hours of Le Mans event and the Le Mans Series, is currently "studying specific rules for LMP1 which will be equipped with a kinetic energy recovery system."[7]
The hybrid system that will be phased in is known as KERS, which stands for Kinetic Energy Recovery System. KERS does not store as much energy as a traditional hybrid system, but it only weighs 55 pounds and the limited energy storage capacity is well suited for Formula-style racing.
The first of these systems to be revealed was the Flybrid[8] which appeared in an article in Racecar Engineering magazine.
The biggest difference between KERS and a regular battery-electric hybrid is that KERS stores recovered waste energy in a rotating flywheel. Instead of converting waste energy into electricity and then back into useful energy again with an electric motor, KERS simply transfers the kinetic energy to a flywheel via the F1 car’s transmission during deceleration. When the driver presses a “boost” button, the gear ratio on the output side of the flywheel is changed so as to reduce its speed and transfer kinetic energy back to the car, resulting in acceleration.
The Flybrid F1 KERS System weighs 24 kg and has an energy capacity of 400 kJ after allowing for internal losses. A maximum power boost of 60 kW (81.6 PS) for 6.67 sec is available. The 20-cm diameter flywheel weighs 5.0 kg and revolves at up to 64,500 rpm. Maximum torque is 18 Nm. The system occupies a volume of 13 liters.
Toyota has used a supercapacitor for regeneration on a race car that won the Tokachi race in July 2007. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2007/07/toyota-hyb ... - Homerr, on 07/08/2008, -0/+2Stop thinking that this is about MPG.
Anyone remember the 640hp Mini Cooper? This could be all about performance and not necessarily improve milage (or very little). http://www.leftlanenews.com/hybrid-mini-offers-640 ... - joostfunke, on 07/08/2008, -0/+0Ferrari is not going to build a hybrid car. Want to know why? Because its Ferrari and they are Italian, thats why. They rather go bust than build a car made by the devil. Ferrari's are made purely to be brutal, fast and not fuel efficient. Otherwise they're would already be a Ferrari with a 2L engine that does 40Mpg.
- zeddyorg, on 07/09/2008, -0/+0I'm all about embracing hybrids and lowering emissions but I'm not sure its something Ferrari should do...
- jgoodman22, on 07/09/2008, -0/+1BMW is already there...
http://www.thegreenmotorist.com/index.php/bmw-brin ... - Slovenian6474, on 07/11/2008, -0/+1But somehow it still beats the z06 on the track...
- jepizacar, on 08/07/2008, -0/+0nice resource....
http://topforex.co.cc
http://skincare.freehostia.com
http://acnecare.890m.com
http://acne.ej.am
http://gofinance.890m.com
http://fastcar.890m.com
http://carbeauty.co.cc
http://gadingan.com
http://gadingan.com/indexsc.php
http://gadingan.wordpress.com
http://23ltd.info
http://jeniya.info
Browsing Digg on your phone just got easier with our enhancements to the 
© Digg Inc. 2008 —
Content posted by