Exotic sports cars may soon be running on air. Partially.
Ferrari has received a patent for a "plusejet" system that could improve the performance of its cars.
It is similar in concept to one that has been proposed for the Tesla Roadster, which remains in development more than five years since it was originally announced.
Ferrari's design, first discovered by The Drive, describes a series of thrusters positioned at the front, rear, top, bottom and both sides of a vehicle that are fed by a compressed air tank.
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The basic idea is that they could be activated at key moments to help the cars brake, accelerate and even go around curves.
According to the patent, the tank would primarily be filled by compressors attached to the axles that would recapture energy under braking.
Each thruster is equipped with a series of five nozzles of different sizes to accommodate the varying pressure of the tank, which would run at a maximum of 900 bar, or approximately 13,000 pounds per square inch.
While Tesla's version has not been publicly shown, automotive parts supplier Bosch has demonstrated a similar idea for motorcycles, where the thrusters would be used to prevent a bike from falling over if tire slip is detected.
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The Ferrari patent does not make any performance claims, but Elon Musk has suggested that Tesla's system, which is based on cold gas thruster technology from SpaceX like that used to maneuver spacecraft in orbit, would allow the Roadster to accelerate to 60 mph in 1.1 seconds, compared to 1.9 seconds without it. Musk said it could even allow the vehicle to make short hops off the ground.
"This will actually be able to fly very briefly. I always laughed at flying cars & now making one. Fate [loves] irony haha," Musk Tweeted in 2021.
The downward facing thruster in Ferrari's concept is for the opposite reason. It is meant to speed up the air under the car to create a ground effect that would increase downforce to keep it better planted to the road.
Ferrari has not announced plans to put the system onto an actual vehicle, and many patents are never manifested in products, but it would seem the race is on to bring air jet power to the road.
