Ferrari has revealed details of the self-sufficient onboard energy concept developed for its innovative 100-foot flying monohull Hypersail.
The energy system is engineered for complete self-sufficiency, powered by renewable sources and crew-generated energy.
It has been developed by the Hypersail tech team in Maranello, and conceived with the dual objective of ensuring maximum efficiency and the total integration of the various onboard architectures.
The choice of an electric solution, arising from the need to guarantee energy self-sufficiency during the long-distance sailing the vessel will face, led to the development of a system capable of harvesting energy as efficiently as possible from the surrounding environment, including solar and wind power.
Winch by Wire system
Above-deck movements, such as sail trimming, will see the direct transformation of human-generated power through a Winch by Wire system.
Below-deck movements, such as the operation of the appendages required to ensure active flight control, are managed through energy recovered from renewable sources, with high-voltage batteries installed to manage the dynamics of energy flows.
“Hypersail is the first foiling monohull for ocean racing to achieve complete energy autonomy,” states Marco Guglielmo Ribigini, technical team leader of Ferrari Hypersail.
“Thanks to an electrical system that ensures the ideal balance between efficiency and performance, alongside innovative solutions such as Winch-by-Wire, all on-board adjustments are powered entirely by energy generated while under way.”
Electrical power
Power generated by the crew’s muscular strength does not directly drive traditional mechanical transmissions and hydraulic circuits, but is instead converted into electrical power, which is centralised and redistributed to the various functions of the boat’s sail plan.
Technology developed for the grinders will ensure a constant and efficient cranking cadence, providing a consistent power output by operating at the peak point of both the system’s electromechanical efficiency and human metabolic performance.
The system will enable a single crew member to manage loads of up to 9 tonnes, surpassing the inherent limitations of traditional mechanical or hydraulic architectures.
Electricity generated via the pedestals uses the same electric motors as those found in the active suspension systems of the Ferrari Purosangue and Ferrari F80, and is channelled into the onboard grid and distributed in real time.
The power will drive the winches regulating sail, or operate the hydraulic pump that executes on-deck adjustments.
The Hypersail’s winch solution stems from the same by-wire philosophy Ferrari introduced on its 12Cilindri Manuale.
Hydraulic flow
Below deck, installed systems manage the electronics, control stability, and ride height on the foils.
The processes have been borrowed from the automotive sector to ensure reliability using a platform of electronic control units (ECUs) and sensors, and four different voltage levels ranging between 12V and 800V.
To govern and adjust the appendages, Hypersail engineers developed an active flight controller system to manage hydraulic flow across two surface operating modes – slow and fast movements.
The former represent the macro-adjustments of the foil arms and canting keel, powered by the 800V rear e-axle from the Ferrari Luce.
The latter are the rapid and continuous movements of the control surfaces, the flaps, which are entrusted to two smaller pumps driven by 48V electric motors.
Solar and wind harvesting system
Electronic and hydraulic systems are powered by renewable sources through the implementation of a solar and wind harvesting system.
Surplus energy is stored rather than dissipated and managed in two identical 800V batteries, ready to distribute power based on the dynamic requirements of the monohull.
Walkable solar panels are integrated into the deck and topsides, covering an area of 100sqms.
Their application is the result of complex simulations to minimise the weight penalty on the vessel, eliminating any unproductive mass in favour of the best power-to-weight ratio.
Wind integration is implemented at the Hypersail’s stern, where wind turbines are housed, which can be configured and removed according to sailing needs.
