Is there a 200+ MPH electric supercar or hypercar in your future? For those seeking ultimate speed, the answer will be, “Yes … eventually.” Before electrons take over completely, expect to see more hyper hybrids. Used in mainstream cars and crossovers to boost fuel economy, hybrid technology can act like a jet fighter’s afterburner when it’s combined with a supercar’s internal combustion engine. Ferrari, McLaren, and Porsche have already taken this road with recent flagship cars, and we’re now seeing the technology trickling down to their mid-range models. McLaren unveiled the Artura hybrid in early 2021, and in June, Ferrari announced its 296 GTB, expected to start around $300,000 when it arrives in 2022. This mid-engine hybrid combines the output of a new twin-turbo V-6 with a single electric motor, for a combined output of 818 horsepower. The 296 GTB will join Ferrari’s $511,000 SF90 Stradale hybrid, which started reaching customers this year. (Heavily optioned SF90 Stradales can exceed $700,000.) Here’s a closer look at the latter. FROM TRACK TO ROAD Ferrari has a long history of adapting race technology to road cars, and that includes hybrid powertrains. From Formula One racing came an adaptation of the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS), called HY-KERS, for La Ferrari, the hypercar which now brings double its original $1.4 million starting price or more at auctions. Built from 2014-2016, and then as the Aperta roadster for two years after that, La Ferrari paired a rip-roaring 789-hp, 6.3-liter naturally aspirated V-12 engine with a 161-hp electric motor. HY-KERS could charge the hybrid battery when coasting or braking. La Ferrari was mighty fast, running the quarter-mile dash in an astounding 9.8 seconds at 150 mph and able to reach 218 mph.
The hybrid-powered Ferrari SF90 Stradale produces an astonishing 986 HP.
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