Wednesday 27th May 2009

Hybrid Ferrari Powertrain Sketches Revealed

Green future of Ferrari leaked via patent office

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Drawings of Ferrari’s four-wheel-drive hybrid future have emerged, showing details of how the Maranello based firm intend to produce greener powertrains in the future.

The Ferrari drawings, believed to be part of a patent application, show an independent electric motor in all of the proposed layouts that powers one axle while a conventional engine operates the other set of wheels.

Each of the drawings shows a different proposal, some with regular axles and differentials and others with small, in-wheel electric motors. The ‘part time’ system outlined in the patent application will help improve the road manners of future Ferraris as drivers will be able to disengage the four-wheel drive system.

That means future hybrid models will have the option of rear-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive. An intelligent new electronics system may also dictate when power is delivered through four or two wheels, improving the car’s stability in poor road conditions.

The addition of a hybrid system should also improve the overall economy of Ferraris as the electrical power can be used to drive the car up to a speed where the engine is more efficient and less polluting.

 

[Benny Saltstein]

Didn't realise Ferrari designers worked in Etch-a-sketch.

[tim200sx]

Benny Saltstein said:

Didn't realise Ferrari designers worked in Etch-a-sketch.

It would explain some of their recent styling efforts

Edited by tim200sx on Wednesday 27th May 09:30

[Tony*T3]

'click to enlarge'..... you lied.

[JB Rugby]

"leaked via patent office"... that's pretty poor form IMO.

Someone's going to wake up next to a horse's head!

[bencollins]

Nissan did this on a concept car in the mid nineties, I checked in 2001.
Good luck with the patent!
Youah mighta wanna doa a searcha firsta da nexta timeah.

[GPT]

Those drawings look like I did them. Never thought I would see a 4wd Ferrari either, guess it's all a long way off anyway.

[richie_mck]

if theres one thing a ferrari driver is worrying about, i dont think its economy or fuel consumption. I think they would be more worried about whether their hair is parted neatly and if his 21 year old girlfrind can do her make-up from the reflection of his massively white teeth. Only joking before i get lynched, i dont think all ferrari drivers are tits, just 99% of them.

[NotNormal]

I don't think even a Tubi will help the lack of noise from any of this electric stuff.



With electric power surely Ferrari will loose that soundtrack and "sense of occasion" that helps sell their present cars so intrigued that they are going down this horrible horrible route.

[VxDuncan]

tim200sx said:

Benny Saltstein said:

Didn't realise Ferrari designers worked in Etch-a-sketch.

It would explain some of their recent styling efforts

Edited by tim200sx on Wednesday 27th May 09:30

They are typical patent applications diagrams - drawn to give the absolute minimum amount of commercial information away whilst still enabling a patent to be granted. In my experience they are usually drawn by hand by a patent lawyer.

Anyone got a patent number?

[PhantomPH]

richie_mck said:

...whether their hair is parted neatly and if his 21 year old girlfrind...

Some of us would be happy with either of those things.

Perhaps I should buy a Ferrari....*strokes bald head and rues lack of youthful minky bouncing on his todger*

[PhantomPH]

From the very wonderful Drivers Republic : US2005116680A1

http://v3.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?...

P~

Edited by PhantomPH on Wednesday 27th May 10:49

[Pommygranite]

Probably going to make models of these drawings out of toothpicks, sticks a ferrari badge on it and sell it for 49.95 in every Ferrari shop and tat shop

[_Deano]

bencollins said:

Youah mighta wanna doa a searcha firsta da nexta timeah.

That sounded poor!
But then i can't do accents very well.

[mcdjl]

Surely to be patentable it has to be original? I can't see any thing original about those! If they get it, it seems to me that they'll have covered just about every hybrid car layout going?

[Hungry Pigeon]

To be patentable the invention (as claimed) must be novel (i.e. new) and non-obvious (i.e. not an obvious modification of something previously disclosed). Having had a look at the application I can see that the international search report hasn't issued yet, and that the invention they're claiming (see below) is actually a 4WD ICE/Electric hybrid that includes an epicyclic gear in the electric transmission line.


A four-wheel-drive vehicle (1) with hybrid propulsion; the vehicle (1) comprising: two first wheels (3) set on one and the same axis; two second wheels (2) set on one and the same axis; an internal-combustion engine (4) provided with a drive shaft (5); a first transmission line (6), which originates from a first drive of the drive shaft (5), transfers the motion to the first wheels (3), and comprises a gearchange (10) and a first differential (11); and a second transmission line (7), which originates from a second drive of the drive shaft (5) opposite to the first drive, transfers the motion to the second wheels (2), and comprises a second differential (14); the vehicle (1) being characterized in that the second transmission line (7) comprises: at least one battery (16) for storing electrical energy; a first reversible electrical machine (17) driven by a first drive (18), electrically connected to the battery (16); and an epicyclic gear (21), which comprises a first rotating element (22), mechanically connected to the drive shaft (5), a second rotating element (23), mechanically connected to the second differential (14), and a third rotating element (24), mechanically connected to the first reversible electrical machine (17).

[Gridl0k]

Brain saw "Hyundai Ferrari Powertrain Sketches Revealed"

:O

At least we know what Ernie would be driving nowadays though - a 4x4 Enzo..

Semi-relatedly, when can we expect to see Ferrari consulting on new Vauxhalls then? Hehe

[german tony]

I'm stuck by the idea that everything I see on the internet now is some sort of viral marketing blurb. People aren't buying as many Fezzas as they were 'cos A. They've got no money & B. They are worried that the ordinaries will lob stuff at any vehicle they think uses an unneccesary amount of fuel. Fezza won't drop it's prices to ease A 'cos most of the brand's value is the expense of it's products which leaves B. What better way to make the public think that Fezza is at the forefront of the green revolution than start a viral camapign featuring leaked patent applications?

[KimZ]

PhantomPH said:

From the very wonderful Drivers Republic : </snip>

Good find Phantom, ta.
Fezzer going to challenge Rangies and so on off road or is this going to be a KERS extension??? Hmmm

[bencollins]

_Deano said:

bencollins said:

Youah mighta wanna doa a searcha firsta da nexta timeah.

That sounded poor!
But then i can't do accents very well.

Hah maybe you mixingah up Piedmontese with mia Bolognese.
Prabablia.

[2dr evangalist]

KimZ, u beat me too it.....
If you look at the different combo`s of how the supplemetary power is fed back in, then u cant tell me that someone hasnt already patented these "combinations" for electric Hybrid.....this is a KERS Hybrid. Fits with their "race developed" branding etc etc etc.....