As we already announced it, Ferrari revealed today at the 2010 Paris Motor Show a version of the California coupe-cabriolet equipped with the new HELE (High Emotion Low Emissions) system, designed to reduce the environmental impact of its cars and boost their performance and driving pleasure. Before it received this new system, the California delivered 299 g/km of CO2 on the combined ECE+EUDC cycle, but thanks to the new HELE system the emissions were reduced to 270 g/km. In addition, the emissions fall by up 23% over an urban cycle that represents real-life use by a client.
Together with the Stop&Start system, HELE comes with a new intelligent engine fan and fuel pump control, electronic air-conditioning compressor displacement control and a gear-shift pattern that adapts to driving style. All these solutions cut the CO2 emissions and boost sportiness. In fact, in terms of the cooling system, the introduction of the brushless motor and continual fan speed control has allowed the Ferrari technicians to decrease current absorption and cut the system’s weight by over 2 kg as well as reduce aerodynamic drag by 5 per cent at high speeds. The fuel pump is controlled constantly by the engine CPU in order to limit the demands on the alternator.
The intelligent air-conditioning compressor displacement control slashes the amount of torque absorbed by the system by 35 percent delivering an efficient and more rapid cabin cooling. With the help of these refinements, the engine can avail of an extra 25 Nm of torque which in turn boosts responsiveness. In automatic mode, the gearbox’ CPU can identify your driving style and adapts the gear shifts to match, optimizing gear shifts to cut fuel consumption. But don’t worry: if you have an aggressive driving style, the gear shifting becomes more high performance too. Regarding the Stop&Start system, the California is the first Ferrari that carries this technology capable to restart the car in just 230 milliseconds.
