Cars
Mythbusters: hybrids
KERS – kinetic energy recovery system – arrived in Formula One in 2009. It worked by capturing energy lost during braking and storing it in a battery, giving the driver a short-term ‘free’ energy boost. Ferrari has long transferred race-bred innovation to its road cars, and so it was here. At the 2010 Geneva motor show, the traditionally iconic Ferrari display was bolstered by an unexpected newcomer, the 599 Hy-Kers. The highlight here was a three-phase, high voltage electric motor that was hooked up to the rear of the car’s dual-clutch seven speed transmission. Energy lost under braking here was captured and used to charge the lithium ion batteries beneath the floor. Although the system reduced CO2 emissions by 35 per cent, the primary goal was to explore the potential of hybridisation as a means of enhancing performance. Amongst other challenges, the development team were tasked with assessing the trade-off between the system’s extra weight and the lap time gains the extra power resulted in.
Click to explore how Ferrari has harnessed hybrid technology in F1, in endurance racing and on the road
This all naturally fed into the LaFerrari that debuted at the same show, three years later. Though the headline act was the naturally aspirated 6.2-litre V12, the new car’s 163 cv electric motor was a technical marvel and delivered near F1 levels of efficiency and torque density. It was attached to the rear of the gearbox via a gear set, with two electric inverters mounted on top of the transmission housing. A second auxiliary electric motor replaced a conventional alternator, saving weight and reducing mass.
The high voltage battery pack consisted of 120 cells split into eight modules, and was assembled by the F1 racing department. The pack was secured inside a Kevlar case and isolated from the cabin by a glass layer. Those inverters and two direct current converters controlled the power delivery; the result was seamless integration between the combustion engine and the e-motor.
With 963 cv, the LaFerrari blitzed all the usual performance parameters and the hybrid system’s influence meant that it could accelerate from 70 to 120km/h twice as quickly as the Enzo (3.4 seconds compared to 7.5 seconds). Transient response was equally impressive. Accelerating from 2500rpm in fourth gear, it took just 0.1sec for 90 per cent of full power to come on stream.’ Now that's what you call responsiveness.
The 599 Hy-Kers concept showcased how F1 KERS technology could be transferred to the road
Then came the SF90, Ferrari’s first plug-in hybrid. This widened the remit further with an eDrive mode that gave the car a pure electric range of up to 26km. Three electric motors added 217 cv to the 4.0-litre, twin turbocharged V8’s 780 cv for an eye-catching total system output of 1,000 cv. Modern cars are increasingly referred to as ‘software-defined’, and the SF90’s complex control logic certainly heads in that direction. But it’s almost all in the service of handling and performance, whether it’s the torque vectoring on the front axle, or the electric traction control that manages wheel slippage by deploying extra kinetic energy rather than reining in the engine in the normal manner.
There’s also a brake-by-wire system, necessary because of the amount of regenerative braking the e-motors contribute. Harmonising the regular friction brakes with the regen system is one of the biggest challenges a powerful hybrid faces, but the SF90 aces it.
As Ferrari continues to develop its hybrid technology, so that sense of harmony grows. Take the 296 GTB, whose 2.9-litre V6 turbo sits in a 120° ‘hot’ vee, so it’s low and wide for an improved centre of gravity. On its own it produces 663 cv. It’s hooked up to an eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox and electronic differential, integrated with a rear-mounted electric motor that produces an additional 167 cv. In ‘qualifying’ mode, the 296 GTB has a total output of 830 cv, engine and e-motor blending seamlessly via an additional clutch that sits between the two power sources, decoupling them when the car is running in pure e-mode. A high voltage 7.45 kWh battery feeds the e-motor.
The first Ferrari hybrid F1 car debuted in 2009. Hybridisation has been making Ferrari road cars more powerful and efficient since 2013's LaFerrari
Ferrari uses a device called TMA – transition manager actuator – to optimise the flow of energy between electric and internal combustion, with proprietary software ensuring it’s smooth and instant. It feels naturally aspirated and sounds wonderful, no mean feat given the various challenges. It’s also oddly exhilarating to drive in silent e-mode.
Down-sizing is one of the industry buzzwords right now, though perhaps it should be ‘right-sizing’. Ferrari’s double Le Mans-winning 499 P uses a 3.0-litre, 680 cv twin-turbo V6, with an electric motor on the front axle to provide an additional 272 cv and all-wheel drive above 190 km/h (as per the WEC rules). That tech has strongly influenced the new F80 hypercar, which uses a similar powertrain. It can accelerate to 100km/h in just 2.1 seconds, 200km/h in 5.7 seconds, and has a top speed limited to 350km/h. That phenomenal responsiveness again.
The F80 borrows directly from the Le Mans-winning 499P, with a hybridised 1200 cv
The total system output is 1200 cv, 900 of which is produced by the combustion engine, 300 by the hybrid system. There are twin turbos, with an e-motor fitted between the turbine and compressor to help them spool up faster. Ferrari has come a long way since the 599 Hy-Kers, as evidenced by the F80’s lightweight electric motors, designed and manufactured in-house such is the engineering intelligence now in play. There are two on the front axle and one on the rear, for torque vectoring and all-wheel drive. The front inverter is bi-directional, so that alternating current produced by the e-axle under regenerative braking is turned into direct current to charge the battery. The inverter on the rear F1-inspired MGU-K e-motor – which weighs 88kg and spins to 30,000rpm – is used to start the combustion engine, recover energy to the battery, and provide torque-fill under load. The high voltage battery is also strongly F1-influenced: 204 lithium cells are grouped in three modules in a carbon fibre case that sits low in the chassis to optimise the centre of gravity.
Interestingly, Ferrari’s mastery of the hybrid system – batteries, inverters, power modules and all – means that the LaFerrari can be retro-fitted with a new, state-of-the-art battery. And all hybrid Ferraris are available with an eight-year extended warranty. Harmony achieved, circle closed.
[Opening image: the 2023 Ferrari 499P]