Thanks
to technological know-how from its deep involvement in
motorsport, Magneti Marelli has contributed to the HY-KERS system
of the new LaFerrari by supplying two moto-generators and various components for the
electronic control of electric powertrain. Lighting,
Electronic Systems and Suspensions are the other
technologies fitted on the special limited series
previewed in Geneva.
A long-awaited world
preview at the Geneva Motor Show 2013, the new LaFerrari
is the first Maranello car to fit a hybrid-electric
system, called HY-KERS, to which Magneti Marelli will
contribute electric engines and various strategic
components for management and control electronics.
For the more extreme
Ferrari ever, Magneti Marelli has drawn upon
consolidated know-how and from the racing world, adding
his technology to the HY-KERS developed by Maranello.
The HY-KERS fitted on
the LaFerrari generates a total power of 963 HP. It
consists of a V12 6.3-l aspirated combustion engine
running on gasoline, able of delivering 800 HP, and of
an electric part developed with Magneti Marelli,
consisting of two electric engines (one main motor and
one for the auxiliary systems) capable of delivering
together a peak power of 120 kW (163 HP).
The HY-KERS system is
able to push the car to record performances and
simultaneously to reduce emissions by about 40%.
The two Magneti
Marelli electric engines incorporated in the HY-KERS
system are controlled by two associated inverters which
are compact in terms of weight and size.
The first engine
provides drive to the vehicle and recovers kinetic
energy during braking, storing such energy in the
lithium batteries for the over-boost power managed in an
intelligent manner by the vehicle dynamic control
systems.
The second engine,
driven by the combustion engine, generates electricity
used to keep the charge level of lithium batteries
constant, in addition to provide energy for standard
vehicle systems (lights, etc.).
Magneti Marelli
supplies technology dedicated to the LaFerrari in the
Lighting area too (high-intensity Bi-Xenon headlights,
LED rear lights), Powertrain (throttled body) and
Electronic Systems with 10 electronic control units
dedicated to controlling the vehicle standard functions,
such as headlights, Superlift system, body computer,
electric actuator for the intake manifolds, electronic
control unit for the Dual Clutch transmission, driver
and passenger carrying modules. The LaFerrari uses the
Superlift system designed by Magneti Marelli which,
thanks to hydraulic actuators, lifts the vehicle and
helps it to easily overcome speed bumps and other
irregularities in the road surface.
The development of
strategic components for the electric engine system
fitted on the LaFerrari symbolizes, at the utmost level,
the technological osmosis between the racing world and
the mass-production that characterizes Magneti Marelli.
Thanks to this
dynamics, technologies and know-how tested in an
environment featuring extreme conditions and
performances are used and transferred over to
mass-produced vehicles, thus ensuring great reliability,
the maintenance of excellent technical characteristics
in parallel with flexibility and excellent ability to
adapt to the customer’s needs.
In the specific case
of the LaFerrari, this process has originated the
development of electric moto-generators from a “racing”
application already conceived from an “automotive”
standpoint and not from generic industrial applications.
This races-mass
production technological osmosis contributes to the
evolution towards new frontiers in terms of efficiency,
yield, safety, lower fuel consumption and emissions,
alternative engines and electronics at the service of
intelligent mobility.
Illuminating examples
of such an exchange, with applications in both areas,
can be found in both the recent past (the evolution of
engine control electronics, the AMT robotized gearbox)
but most importantly in a future perspective: GDI direct
injection from the factory to the races, the hybrid
engine systems based on KERS technologies and the
possible transfers of know-how between advanced
telemetry solutions for the racing world and
info-telematic communication technologies between
mass-produced vehicles and infrastructures.
The operating system
of the electric engine developed by Magneti Marelli for
the LaFerrari.
Main components:
EM1: Hy-Power electric
engine used for the drive or as a generator, coupled to
the dual-clutch transmission (DCT). This engine recovers
kinetic energy under braking (the KERS principle),
converting it into electricity which is stored in the
batteries, and generates additional power (over-boost)
of 120 KW (about 200 torque) during the acceleration
phase. The engine also ensures the deactivation of the
combustion engine once the vehicle has stopped, keeping
the in-vehicle electronic systems active. The Hy-Power
electric engine comes from F1, and features a stator
with revolutionary bar windings.
EM2: Auxiliary
electric engine operated by the combustion engine which
is used to keep the charge level of the KERS lithium ion
batteries constant as well as to convert - thanks to the
dedicated inverter - electricity from high to low
voltage (12v), which can then be used for standard
vehicle functions (lighting, air-conditioning, etc.)
Double inverter used
to control the two electric engines. There are two
compact-size DCDC converters inside the same box: one
with voltage of 12 V, and another one that controls the
battery cooling system.
Battery control system
consisting of a BSM (Battery Management System) and 8
BMCs (Battery Module Controllers), connected one to the
other by means of two CAN lines. The control units
constantly monitor the 120 battery cells. Each BMC
monitors 15 cells, their balancing and temperatures. The
BSM handles the control strategies of the entire
package, including safety checks, such as, for example,
any insulation losses.