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2010 Geneva Auto Show: Ferrari HY-KERS Experimental Vehicle

This year Ferrari’s Geneva Stands showcases an incredibly dangerous vehicle, the HY-KERS vettura laboratorio (experimental vehicle), which is actually a hybrid 599. When we say “incredibly dangerous”, we don’t refer to the car’s “Danger High Voltage” underfloor label, but to an apocalyptic hazard.

The car’s hybrid powertrain features a compact, tri-phase electric motor, which is mated to the rear dual clutch 7-speed F1 gearbox. The unit sends its power to one of the transmissions' two clutches and engages one of the two gearbox primary shafts, assuring a constant power link to the car’s V12 engine. The electric motor weighs 40 kg and produces over 100HP, a power that allows it to compensate for the weight of the whole electric system (battery pack included).

The unit is also a Kinetic Energy Recovery System, as it uses the braking torque to recharge the battery, assisted by an F1-inspired electronics module. This also allows it to power the engine’s auxiliary units when running in all-electric mode - the power steering, the power-assisted brakes, the air conditioning and the on-board systems. It performs this operation by using a generator mounted on the V12 powerplant. The electric motor has its own cooling and lubrication unit.

The electric motor is powered by a lithium-ion battery pack located below the vehicle’s floorpan. This lowers the hybrid 599’s center of gravity, when compared to its combustion-only sibling. The company claims that the HY-KERS “maintains the high-performance characteristics typical of all Ferraris” while cutting CO2 emissions by 35 percent ( ECE + EUDC combined cycle).
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About the author: Andrei Tutu
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In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
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