Ferrari to Produce Hybrid Cars

Ferrari is planning to cut the CO2 emissions of its cars by 40 per cent before 2012. The company’s president, Luca di Montezemolo has suggested that hybrid power will be part of that process. His comment will be seen as confirmation that Ferrari is developing a road version of the Kinetic Energy Regeneration System (KERS) that the Ferrari F1 team will be using from next season.

“We are currently working on the development of a Ferrari that will use alternative energy sources based on what we are doing at the moment in Formula One,” di Montezemolo told a German newspaper.

This is a ‘mild hybrid’ system which stores energy during braking and then uses it to improve performance and reduce fuel consumption. Future Ferraris are likely to be fitted with a small battery to harvest this regenerated energy, which will be used to power a small electric motor. The motor can be used to both boost acceleration and to keep the transmission spinning quickly to speed up gear changes.

Source:autocar.co.uk