Quote: (03-06-2013 07:43 PM)Athlone McGinnis Wrote:
Quote: (03-06-2013 04:06 AM)porscheguy Wrote:
Technically this is Ferrari's first hybrid:
The fact that hybrid technology was forced onto F1 tells me all I need to know about it: it's a joke. I wonder who they're pandering to by putting it in a road car?
I meant production hybrid.
As for who they're pandering to, my answer would be the large environmentalist lobby in the EU, USA and other parts of the western world. Carmakers of all kinds are facing pressure about going green, so all of them (even the supercar makers) have something to gain by at least looking like they're trying to comply.
Athlone and Porscheguy, no offence dudes but it is ignorant to suggest that they are pandering to anybody's environmental sensitivities aside from the idiots who read "HYBRID FERRARI DEBUTS" on HuffPost, and then goes back to looking at cat pictures. Ok, maybe that's plenty of people, but as car guys, you should know better.
First of all, this is natural. Technology always flows downstream from F1 and other racing to road cars. Best example, automated manuals. Semi-automatic gearboxes from F1, dual clutches from LeMans cars etc.
Second, these "hybrids" have fuck all in common with fuel saving hybrid systems like you'd see on the Prius or Fusion. Those use regenerative braking and Atkinson cycle gasoline engines to conserve fuel and lower emissions by recapturing kinetic energy through braking and the Atkinson engine which features much more efficient combustion.
What these systems do is totally different.. The powertrains in these cars would rip ass with or without the hybrid system. The P1 uses a 700+ horsepower TT V8 and the LaFerrari also makes obscene power figures. The hybrid systems are icing on the cake. The "hybrid" is designed to give you a short burst of extra power by recapturing the kinetic energy and storing it for use on demand. There is no Atkinson engine to help increase efficiency.
Frankly, these KERS systems (as they are called in Formula 1) are fucking awesome. You know those cheesy scenes in Go In 60 Seconds where Nic Cage holds down the NOS button to get the extra nitrous boost out of the Shelby? This is the real life equivalent of that. I don't know if you guys have ever driven a electric car before, but something like the Tesla delivers absolutely ruthless acceleration instantly. Electric motors make max torque at 1 RPM in a totally linear fashion.
Now, most auto makers do have to "pander" to the US and EU regulations by building hybrids and EVs to comply with the absurd fuel economy regulations set out by the government. But guess who doesn't? Not Ferrari, or Lambo, or Porsche or McLaren. Yeah, they may get fined by the government, but it doesn't hurt them one bit. Ferrari makes $50 million off their branded merchandise alone. As if the cars weren't expensive enough, not to mention their profitable Formula 1 programs, servicing, consulting for other OEMS (oh yeah, they do that. You would be amazed). These guys are the 1 percent of the auto world. They can do whatever the fuck they want and you and I will still be put on a waiting list if they released a fucking Tata Nano with a prancing horse badge and a lawn mower engine. Furthermore, as the innovation leaders of the car world they can't afford not to experiment with this stuff at a bare minimum.
Interestingly, the P1 can run on pure electric power for a number of miles. Presumably this is for low speed city driving, but the whole point of that in a supercar is to let the Tubi's sing so everyone else feels poor.
And there's your Auto Industry lesson for the day.
TL;DR I'd way rather have an F40