Chances are, you had forgotten that Ferrari was working on a high-performance EV—I know I kinda did—given that we’ve been talking about it since before the pandemic, about 35 years ago. Ferrari finally revealed more concrete details today for what’s been baptized as the Elettrica, a high-horsepower, high-tech, grand-tourer experience, almost like an electric Purosangue.
However, don’t fear, because Ferrari hasn’t quite revealed the Elettrica, only its drivetrain specs. We’ll have to keep waiting until next year to see and hear the real thing. Either way, I won’t make you wait any longer for what we do now. Here ya go: four electric motors—two on each axle with F1-derived Hallbach array rotors—1,000 hp, four seats, a 2.5-second zero-to-60 time, and a 193 mph top speed. Oh, and in case you care about how far you can go in this thing, Ferrari is estimating around 300 to 330 miles from its 122-kWh battery and 800-volt architecture, which can charge at up to 350kW.
That’s roughly it. Of course, Ferrari released a treasure trove of technical specs and explanations, most of which paint a picture of a highly capable machine. But then again, it’s a Ferrari, what else would you expect? A few details that stood out to me include the batteries, which are assembled in-house and are allegedly the most power-dense in the world at 195 Wh per kilogram.
The Elettrica will also ride on the newest version of Ferrari’s magical 48-volt active suspension, which was first debuted in the Purosangue and is a true feat of engineering. The evolution of this suspension now lives in the F80 hypercar. The system, which was co-developed with Multimatic, ditches anti-roll bars and employs electric motors to operate the shock absorber and adjust to road conditions in real-time.
Then there’s the simulated manual, which Ferrari is calling Torque Shift Engagement. TSE isn’t quite what you’d find in the spicy Hyundai N cars, which essentially fully replicate a manual transmission, but it’s close. Maranello has added “five different levels of power and torque” that are activated by the paddle shifters. While under acceleration, pulling on the right paddle will unlock the next power level, until top speed is reached. When braking, pulling on the left paddle simulates the effect of engine braking, Ferrari claims. Per the press release, TSE is designed to give the driver “the time to truly savour the resulting acceleration and offering the sensation of relentless thrust.”
Lastly, the hot topic that is an EV’s sound. There’s always a discussion about whether these should imitate ICE sounds, or resemble more a spaceship, or maybe just have no sound—and everyone always seems to have differing opinions. Well, Ferrari is going down a unique path, which appears to be D) All of the above. The Elettrica will proudly amplify the sounds emitted by its electric drivetrain, and nothing more. Instead of piping in fake V12 sounds, or even some cool soundtrack from its Le Mans-winning 499P, it’s simply doing what its ICE cars do: take the sound produced from the engine, refining it, and then blasting it into the air. This is accomplished via a high-precision accelerometer embedded to the rear inverter so it translates the sounds, vibrations, and other nuances of the electric motors. This is then projected into the cabin, though Ferrari didn’t specific if it was also projected outward, à la Charger Daytona EV.
Ferrari did not share any specifics about the Elettrica’s official reveal date, and according to Top Gear, there’s a chance that it may not even be called the Elettrica. Apparently that’s a sort of working project name. In the end, we’ll have to keep waiting even longer to find out more details about Ferrari’s first EV.
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