Ferrari recently filed a patent to create a hybrid Ferrari with a 6-cylinder twin-turbo hydrogen thermal engine. For this project, the Maranello company has chosen to opt for an in-line engine configuration, with a hydrogen tank distributed on both sides. The patent for the Ferrari hydrogen engine was filed both in the European Union and in the United States, with the signature of Fabrizio Favaretto, who has worked at Ferrari for 24 years and currently holds the role of “Vehicle and Powertrain Architectures Innovation Manager”.
Ferrari hydrogen engine
The technical data filed on the hydrogen Ferrari show the characteristics of a hybrid sports car with a rear combustion engine and a front electric motor. As regards the front axle with the electric unit there are no details and it could probably be a 48 volt hybrid system, while the real novelty is represented by the rear combustion unit powered by hydrogen gas.
Ferrari patent for a hydrogen engine
The choice of an in-line engine over a V-shaped one provides space for the hydrogen tanks, positioned behind the cockpit on both sides of the powerplant. Unusually, the engine is mounted backwards, with the crankshaft at the top and the cylinder head at the bottom, close to the road.
Inverted hydrogen engine, characteristics
Maranello engineers considered mounting the engine backwards to position the transmission higher than the engine, allowing the installation of a larger extractor chute at the rear of the car, with aerodynamic advantages.
The engine is positioned upside down
If this solution were not adopted, to have an equally effective speaker you would have to use a longer vehicle, but the document underlines the importance of maintaining compact dimensions and a short wheelbase. The patent also considers servicing the engine upside down, with oil and coolant pumps located at the bottom of the engine for easier access.
Hydrogen engine supercharging
The patent describes different ways to obtain engine supercharging. In one case, the use of two centrifugal compressors mounted coaxially on the sides of a single electric motor is proposed. The energy to drive the compressors during braking would be generated by the front-wheel drive unit, although the use of a battery, presumably used to store the energy, is not specified.
Another option involves a different arrangement of the two compressors, always driven by an electric motor. A third solution proposes an MGU-H system (with motor generator), with an exhaust gas turbine that recovers electrical energy to drive the compressors.
Ferrari hydrogen engine, 6 cylinders in line with upside down crankshaft and cylinder head.
As an alternative to electric energy, the power of one of the shafts of the dual clutch transmission could be used to directly drive one or more mechanical compressors. In this case, a transmission could be added between the dual-clutch gearbox and the supercharger to allow variable speeds.
Hydrogen, is H2 an alternative to electricity?
If this type of engine has a future, it will also be necessary to wait for the evolution of the market. The deposited documents are available to allow the brand to access them when it deems necessary. In fact, the hydrogen engine could represent the most accredited alternative to the purely electric one, with the latter having already turned up the noses of the purists of the Maranello Red. The hydrogen option could therefore be the ideal choice to meet both enthusiast expectations and EU environmental regulations.
Ferrari is not the only one to think of this type of engine, since before it it was Toyota that strongly believed in this technology, so much so that it has been testing it for years in endurance races. AVL Racetech has also already developed a 2.0-liter hydrogen turbo four-cylinder with over 400 HP, for initial use in racing.
