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The Italian company Ferrari has applied for a patent for a car with a hydrogen internal combustion engine.
All patents pending in the EU and USA mention the inventor Fabrizio Favaretto. He has been with Ferrari for 24 years and is currently the innovation manager for vehicle architecture and powertrains.
The documents describe a hybrid sports car similar in basic configuration to the Corvette E-Ray. The engine is in the back, the electric motor is in the front, and that's where the similarities end.
The power unit in the basic configuration is an in-line 6-cylinder hydrogen engine. This configuration provides space for hydrogen tanks on both sides of the engine. Moreover, the engine itself is installed upside down - the crankshaft is at the highest point of the engine, and the cylinder head is located above the road.
The patent includes several innovative solutions for supercharging, including the use of compressors driven by electric motors that receive energy from braking and an energy recovery system of the MGU-H type.
There is also an option of direct mechanical drive of superchargers from a double clutch. Inverted engine maintenance solutions include cam-driven pumps located at the bottom of the engine and a diffuser that acts as an engine cover and provides easy access to major components.
