After attempting to resist the electric revolution and stick with its petrol-powered engines, Ferrari has conceded and will launch a battery-powered supercar by 2025.
Speaking at the recent Italian brand’s recent annual general meeting, Ferrari chairman and interim CEO, John Elkann, confirmed plans to make a major shift in the brand’s heritage. The revelation comes less than a year after former CEO Louis Camilleri said the company would resist EVs for as long as possible.
Without revealing any details Elkann said the new EV supercar would live up to the performance people have come to expect from Ferrari.
“You can be sure this will be everything you dream the engineers and designers at Maranello can imagine for such a landmark in our history,” Elkann said.
“Our interpretation and application of these technologies both in motorsport and in road cars is a huge opportunity to bring the uniqueness and passion of Ferrari to new generations.”
Ferrari isn’t a complete stranger to electrification, though. It launched the SF90 Stradale in 2019, the brand’s first series-production plug-in hybrid, which combines a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 with three electric motors to create an all-wheel drive supercar that boasts 722kW of power and can run on electric power for up to 25km.
Ferrari has been working on EV supercar plans for some time already, with patent drawings for a four-motor, all-wheel drive two-seat supercar leaking early in 2020.
One possible avenue for Ferrari to an EV supercar is to utilise elements of the already announced Maserati electric powertrain, dubbed ‘Folgore’ (Italian for lightning). The other Italian supercar brand will have three electric motors (one on the front axle, two on the rear) and be paired with a state-of-the-art 800-volt electrical system to ultra-rapid charging. Maserati will use this powertrain in its MC20 supercar, offering it alongside the twin-turbo V6-powered version.
While a fully-electric supercar is now confirmed, Ferrari looks set to continue to focus on hybrid models for the rest of the range, rather than a wholesale EV switch. While the SF90 is a technology leader, European emission legislation is likely to force the brand to add hybrids across more future models.
The brand will continue to use motorsport to promote this switch, with a Le Mans Hypercar program confirmed to begin in 2023 alongside its Formula 1 team.
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