Ferrari hybrid

Seriously, would you buy a ferrari hybrid? Added battery weigh alone would effect handling.

 

A hybrid Ferrari = Not really a Ferrari.


Sorry, I just could never truly accept a Ferrari without an exhaust note.

 

Guys, take this from an automotive engineer... hybrid propulsion ONLY improves mpg in city driving. Anywhere else, and it's likely to make your mpg worse, if anything because you're dragging tons of useless batteries and electric motors when they're not being used.

There are much better ways to improve mpg:

1) High-tech turbodiesel (a là BMW) but not suitable for an Italian supercar;
2) Stratified direct high pressure injection with sophisticated shaped combustion control (Like the Lambo LP560: 25% mpg improvement on the earlier Gallardo)
3) Downsizing engine size, use of composite materials in the engine, variable geometry turbocharging (The Porsche 997TT comes close to this description - and it has arguably the best mpg per bhp of any supercar)
4) Lightweight carbon fibre construction for the chassis and bodywork (a là Pagani Zonda - very effective but still expensive)

5) Add points 2 + 3 + 4 above and you have guessed Ferrari's future technical direction... I have heard that they are working on an ultra-lightweight twin-turbo direct-injection 3 litre V10 that should pack 600 bhp and return 30 mpg in highway cruising. It won't be cheap, but it will be damn better than a wheezy electromobile!

 

When have Ferrari ever been "forced" to do anything?

Porsche were forced
BMW ARE forced
Mercedes are forced (i am surprized these guys have not considered it even..)

Ferrari do not need a hybrid because Ferraris are bought for the reason that they are original master pieces... Should they become too oridnary (and suddenly offer hybrid cars) they will lose their purpose as a name.. Also, why would you want anything to do with Toyota to be involved with anything Ferrari...? If toyota paid Ferrari to develop a super car for them, that would be one thing (not a bad idea actually) but Ferrari/Fiat would never accept outside management or help... (unless its financial.)
Would it be cool? Maybe for one month...

Besides, I think Lamborghini have more chances of doing this before Ferrari, just because of Audi's $$ and engineering..
But it would STILL be an expensive car .. a pointless one at that.

 

Even the greatest empires have fallen when they fail to meet the demands of a changing world environment... Don't think Ferrari is invincible because there are many of us who would rather die than drive an electric. Nothing lasts forever. And on the note, don't feel that electric is the only way to go. There are countless directions that the automotive industry has the luxury of pursuing today, and surely an infinite number of routes for power that we haven't even thought of.

 

Convert it to an LPG then you keep the engine sound and its cheaper and greener to run.

 

Not sure which empires you're referring to, but the demand here is built on tremendous hype and scare tactics.

 

Ferrari sells way too few cars compared to Porsche, Merecedes and BMW. Plus a person who buys a Ferrari doesnt think about how much they pay for gas. This is car is for the ultra rich, for them to even consider gas is to expensive is when it hits $10 per gallon or even more.

 

Hybrid is defined to mean anything derived from heterogeneous sources, or composed of elements of different or incongruous kinds. Todays Hybrid vehicles are a composite of electric and internal combustion technologies. How's about we consider a Hybrid Ferrari based on 2 types of ICE engines, gasoline reciprocating engines and gas turbine technologies. Now thats a Hybrid worth considering. It would lend well to the phrases "I smoked him", "your car is sooo hot", and "Blistering speed".

 

Absoluletly RIGHT ON! It's all about physics-- energy in is equal to energy out. There is no magic bullet to suddenly increase the amount of energy. All you can do it make the use of input energy more efficient and less wasteful. In stop and go city conditions, hybrids MAY improve gas mileage but only under that condition.

The key is to get MORE power and efficiency out of the same energy input and to reduce the weight and drag of the "thing" the engine is pushing around. Sound familiar? It's the same needs to make a great F-1 car. Ferrari should lead the way in showing the world how to make powerful yet efficient engines and use ultra light but strong technology derived from racing to help solve this problem.

 

So how does the Prius get 40 MPG?

 

Ferrari is already developing hybrid powertrains for use in the A1GP and, potentially, F1 in the coming years (with the new upcoming requirements).

Sorry guys...

 

The Prius is a utter waste of technology, an old Geo Metro would run circles around it in an economy run, as would an early 80's Mercedes 190 D 2.2 diesel with manual. The Prius would actually do much better with a smaller engine directly coupled to the wheels, rather than propelling the car via an electric motor through a battery via a generator. This was taught to us in 5th grade folks, obviously no one was paying attention, apparently not even college professors.

Anyone recall the old cartoons, or PeeWee Hermans big Adventure, where you have a myriad of things in operation to work something? The alarm clock drops the ball which hits the bucket which dumps the marbles that pulls the chain to pour the water to feed the cat. Thats how I see hybrid cars, and even more so electric cars. Everytime energy is changed to something else, efficiency is lost. The generator, batteries and motor are a waste of materials and excess wieght as well as inneficient. If they really wanted to make a fuel efficient car, a smaller engine and a manual transmission are much more efficient. A small diesel would be even more so.

The electric car is even worse. Over 90% of our energy in the US is produced by coal. Not directly, but via a steam engine, a steam turbine to be exact, which drives the generator. As long as we plug an electric car into the coal grid, to call it anything other than a coal powered vehical would be deceptive.

A future Ferrari could take advantage of many technologies to achieve good fuel economy and efficiency without ever doing anything as retarded as hybrid technology. In fact, hybrid technology should be an oxymoron. Its over 100 years old and except in a train locomotive running at steady load is not efficient. Its sorta like steam engine technology.

 

How about...



1. Lower weight


2. Direct fuel injection (in the works, as I understand it)


3. Turbocharging


4. Better aerodynamics




All those things could make for a pretty green Ferrari

 

The same way many other NON HYBRID cars get 40MPG -- by being efficient and light and driving in a style that does not waste fuel. Do you think the Prius is the ONLY car on the road that gets good mileage? No way.

I'm not saying hybrid technology is a "marketing ploy". It's just one way to get better fuel economy. But, like everything in life, there are compromises. The Prius has many. It's far from the perfect solution.

I swear a lot of people bought these things MORE for the ability to drive in the car pool lane than to save gas. There are a lot of cars out there that get similar mileage and are actually cheaper to buy. If they gave tax incentives and car pool stickers to ANY car that get more than 40 mpg, do you think the Prius would still be so successful?

 

Ferraris represent less than 1% of the vehicles on the road at any given time. As long as gasoline is still served at fuel stations, let them continue to be gasoline engines producing large amounts of horsepower and making wonderful exhaust noise.

 

Because it has an ANEMIC motor.

 

Agreed with the above poster about ferraris direction in the future.

They may also look into an E85 alternative. Take a look at this link.

http://www.worldcarfans.com/9080113.015/ferrari-430-spider-bio-fuel-concept--in-detroit

One thing is definatley certain, ferrari has some excellent engineering staff and will come up with a great way to combine enviornmentally friendly cars with incredible performance.

As stated above in the coming years there are going to start being huge advances made in fuel economy on high horsepower cars. Two great starting examples are

1) New Viper - On an overhead valve engine they added a two piece camshaft to provide variable valve overlap. This technology along with the rest of the redesign has improved power by 20% and fuel efficiency by 25%

2) The LP 560 - Direct Injeciton technology helps tremendously with emmisions, power and MPG. Almost all car manufactorers will be using this soon enough.

other technolgies as stated are Active Fuel Management, turbocharging, light weight materials and better aerodynamics.

Personally, as an engineer myself, I am very excited to see what is done in the future. This is a time of technological leaps and bounds.

 

Uh...90%? Try 23%. Here is the data from the US Dept. of Energy: http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/aer/pdf/pages/sec1_3.pdf

"The majority of this energy is derived from fossil fuels: in 2005, it was estimated that 40% of the nation's energy came from petroleum, 23% from coal, and 23% from natural gas. The remaining 14% was supplied by nuclear power, hydroelectric dams, and miscellaneous renewable energy sources."

Here in California, the stats are naturally much "greener": Natural Gas 41.5%, Nuclear 12.9%, Large Hydro 19.0%, Coal 15.7%, Renewable 10.9%.

Locally to me, San Francisco generates enough hydro-electric power itself to supply its public transportation system (buses and streetcars), as well as all the city/country buildings and facilities, streetlights, traffic lights, the airport (SFO) and of course the water system that supplies water to the city as well as most of the 2.4 mil people on the SF Peninsula.