Ferarri

June 10, 2009

Ferrari Reveals Plans for Hybrid Concept Car With Possible Unveiling This Year

Ferrari has disclosed plans for a hybrid concept car, the British magazine Autocar reported Tuesday, with the unveiling likely to occur before the end of this year.

Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa was quoted as saying the vehicle won't debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show, but probably at an American show "soon thereafter."

The Frankfurt show will be held Sept. 17-27 this year. The first major American auto show to be held thereafter will take place in Los Angeles Dec. 4-13 (Dec. 2-13 if you count the press days).

Earlier this month Autocar revealed patent drawings for a hybrid, all-wheel-drive concept car and a turbocharged engine.

Felisa reportedly told Autocar that, in order to meet stringent 2014 European emissions regulations, Ferrari is looking at three solutions. They are: turbocharging, biofuel cars and hybrids.

Ferrari has already produced a car that can run on biofuel. It is the ethanol-gulping F430 pictured here, which debuted at the Detroit Auto Show in January of last year.

As for a Ferrari hybrid, Felisa first spoke of one more than a year ago during an interview with the Germany's Auto Motor und Sport. But soon after the automaker's PR people said Felisa misspoke.

Sure he did.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett June 10, 2009, 1:26 PM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Biofuels, Emissions, Ethanol, Ferarri, Hybrid
Technorati Tags:: Biofuel

March 5, 2009

Big Red Going Green: Ferrari Studying Hybrid System for Street and Race Cars

The rumors have been around for a while now, but Ferrari chief executive Amedeo Felisa has made it official, the prancing stallion is developing a hybrid powertrain for its street cars.

Ferrari already is testing a hybrid kenetic energy recovery system in its Formula 1 race cars, and Felisa told Australia's drive.com this week that the company also is doing lab testing of a dual power system (the definition of a hybrid - two disparate power or fuel sources, such as electricity and gasoline) in its 599 coupe (right).

The Italian supercar manufacturer said last year that it would be concentrating on improving its environmental footprint, and Felisa said that the effort to improve fuel economy and cut emissions now consumes more than half the company's research and development budget.

He said Ferrari could have a hybrid car ready for sale by 2015.

Felisa didn't specify what type of hybrid system is being studied, but AutoblogGreen quotes Ferrari President Luca Cordero di Motezemolo saying it is the same type of electric KERS being tested in the company's race cars: a real-axle driven generator pumps juice into a storage battery and the energy is released via an electric supercharger to give the race-car engine a jolt of extra speed when demanded by the driver.

As we explained in a two-part KERS series early last year (Part 1, race cars, here, and Part 2, passenger cars, here) , kinetic energy recovery systems also can use flywheels to store and release energy.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell March 5, 2009, 3:00 AM
Categories:: Emissions, Ferarri, Fuel Economy, Hybrid
Technorati Tags:: Ferrari

August 5, 2008

Ballot Measure Would Ban Most SUVs, Sports Cars From Swiss Roads

America's auto-emissions regulators have nothing on the youth brigade of the Swiss Green Party.

The youth have obtained the 100,000 signatures needed to put a measure before Switzerland's voters that would ban passenger vehicles that have a curb weight of more than 4,820 pounds, emit more than 250 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer, or have front ends deemed dangerous to pedestrians.

The measure would also ban diesel cars lacking particle filters. Non-compliant cars registered before the measure goes into law would be fitted with a governor limiting them to 62 miles per hour.

The measure, which is viewed as moderate by its proponents, would remove all but the most fuel efficient models from Swiss roads. The forbidden list contains 785 models. In Porsche's lineup, for instance, all but the Boxster and Cayman fitted with 2.7-liter engines would be barred.

Lots of Mercedes-Benzes, BMWs and Audis would be history, as would every Ferrari, Maserati and Lamborghini. Not all automakers would suffer. Lotus's entire lineup, for example, would be compliant.

The vote has not been scheduled and could be a couple of years away. Also, more than 90 percent of initiatives presented to Swiss voters since 1848 have been rejected. But "moderates" can hope.

Scott Doggett, Contributor