Ferrari Sees the Light with All-New Luce EV
Ferrari finally arrived to the party that most seem to be leaving, rolling out its first ever all-electric vehicle Monday, the four-door Luce sedan.
The EV breaks a lot of ground for the Italian sports car maker. The Luce, which is Italian for “light,” is the company’s first EV and the first vehicle design from Apple’s top designer, Jony Ive and his LoveFrom studio. It’s also the first five-seat model from Ferrari.
"We are convinced that a company demonstrates its leadership when it has the courage to dare and to take on the challenge of new technologies,” said Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna in a statement. “Ferrari Luce was born precisely from this challenge, offering our unprecedented vision of electrification. Never before have we offered our clients such freedom of choice. In line with our belief in technological neutrality, we are the first in the world to combine fully electric, hybrid and combustion engine architectures for sports cars.
“We have not limited ourselves to innovation in powertrains; with Luce, we have launched a whole new segment in our range. This model is the result of more than 60 of our new patents and lies at the heart of an ecosystem of collaborations with outstanding technology partners. We have created a car that combines unique driving emotions with extraordinary performance, driving pleasure, and comfort for the Ferraristi of today and tomorrow."
The Luce is powered by four electric motors — conveniently, one for each wheel — and a 122kWh battery. Those are tied to some more conventional systems, such as the active suspension from the F80 and an independent steering rear axle. With the battery, the new model weighs in just shy of 5,000 pounds.
The car produces more than 1,000 horsepower, travels about 310 miles on a full charge, and races from zero to 62 mph in 2.5 seconds, and zero to 125 mph in about 6.8 seconds. Its top speed is about 193 mph, according to Ferrari. The Luce also becomes the latest EV to generate its own sound. What’s a Ferrari without a signature roar, right?
“The Ferrari Luce’s approach to sound is based on the key principle that it must be authentic and functional, generated from the car’s mechanics and serving the driving experience,” officials noted. A precision accelerometer at the center of the axle captures the dynamic texture and vibration of the rotating components while the sound waves are moving.
The system was developed in-house and patented, and it filters, equalizes and amplifies the signal much like an electric guitar — but only when functional to the driving experience, the company said.
The sound level is based on the position of the e-Manettino and the use of the paddles, allowing the driver to switch from quiet focus to maximum expressiveness. Sound is emitted via an external amplification system that creates a natural sound wave, and an internal system that ensures detail and high fidelity.
The new model to five years to get from approval to completion — the company will begin production in the fourth quarter of this year. If you’re interested, getting one starts with ponying up at least $640,000.
[Images: Ferrari]
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Michael Strong has spent more than 25 years writing about the automotive industry. A Detroit-area native, he’s written about everything from local car shows to product reviews to financial news. Currently he writes and edits for a variety of national and local publications. He’s also a longtime member of the Automotive Press Association and the International Motor Press Association, and a graduate of Georgia Southern University. Hail Southern! Despite a love for ’70s land yachts and BMWs from the late ’80s and early ’90s, his personal vehicle is neither of those.
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Thanks for an interesting report.
I think CEO Vigna would have done well to re-state the Ferrari philosophy to justify the design.
Ferrari has made some choices that I think will keep the driver engaged with the vehicle. One thing I don't like about other EVs is that you basically sit there and do nothing. That seems to be the benchmark EV philosophy. With a Tesla Model Y, for example, you almost need to push it beyond its capabilities just to keep your eyes open.
The Luce EV could interest a younger Silicon Valley driver who wants an EV that lets the driver actively control the performance and experience. Those two things are the bull's eye of the Ferrari philosophy.
Enzo just rolled over again.
The fact you need to synthesize the "Ferrari Sound" is very telling into itself. 600k for a rolling sound system is a bit much. What's next ? A device to generate the smell of a hot engine, and gasoline and while your at it, toss in a device that replicates the vibrations of all those precision mechanicals operating in synchronous harmony.
Or you could just purchase a real gas engine Ferrari.
Enzo must be spinning in his grave, Modena will never be the same.
What would Thomas Magnum say about tooling around Hawaii in a Ferrari EV, Meh!
What happened here????..... Looks like an 80's Corvette slammed into the rear and got stuck in there.... that thing is just ugly.