I wouldn’t be surprised if you read The first details about the Ferrari electric car Astonished. The Electrika was designed in a world where luxury automakers believe there will be high demand for premium electric vehicles. But this request was not fulfilled.
Ferrari understands this; The automaker is Halving its plans to become 40 percent electric by 2030. We also live in a world where there is widespread enthusiast backlash towards electric cars, and really, how important is an electric Ferrari that most people can’t afford anyway?
I would say it’s very relevant. Ferrari is one of the few automakers leading the way in vehicle dynamics, and what it does sets the pace for the rest of the enthusiast car world. So, when Ferrari shows off all the new technology for its first electric car, pay attention and try to keep an open mind.
These novelties are, in short, an 800-volt electrical architecture with a 122.0 kWh battery; Electric motor for each wheel. 48-volt active suspension system; Independent rear wheel steering. The automaker describes it as “the first Ferrari with engines that offer control of vertical, longitudinal and lateral forces in all dynamic conditions, allowing the Ferrari Elettrica to deliver the driving excitement typical of a car bearing the Prancing Horse badge.”
Photo by: Ferrari
This is not marketing talk. Starting with the F430 in 2004, Ferrari took a new approach to vehicle dynamics, using advanced hardware and software to coordinate it. The big enabler was an electronic limited-slip differential, which worked in concert with the traction/stability control system to improve stability through the rear axle.
Over the next 20 years, Ferrari added more electronic systems to its dynamic toolkit – electric power steering, adaptive dampers, rear-wheel steering, all-wheel drive (on some models), and increasingly sophisticated powertrain control systems. They all work together to determine the vehicle’s handling behaviour.
The results are usually bizarre, helping the novice manage increasingly huge power output, and making the pro faster.
The independent rear-wheel steering and active suspension are not unique to the Electtrica. Both technologies are demonstrated in the Purosangue and F80. Electric motor torque vectoring isn’t unique either, as the F80 and 849 Testarossa (and its SF90 predecessor) have twin-drive front axles.
But it’s this combination of ultra-quick, ultra-powerful four-wheel torque vectoring with active suspension and independent rear-wheel steering that puts the Electtrica on the bleeding edge. Of course, all this hardware and software is only as good as what you make of it, but given Ferrari’s track record, we can reasonably expect it to do great things here.
Photo by: Ferrari
Ferrari is also trying something really interesting in using the accelerometer to amplify the original noise coming from the electric motor, offering drivers five pre-set power torque curves that increase in intensity as you pull the ‘upshift’ paddle.
Simply put, Ferrari is harnessing the full potential of the transition to electric cars, trying to figure out how to make something normally unattractive speak to enthusiasts. Ferrari may be making an electric car because it has to, but it’s trying here too.
Although it often seems like supercars have nothing to do with anything pedestrian, you can bet that every automotive engineer out there will be paying close attention to what Ferrari is doing with this car.
This path that Ferrari started with the F430 is one that many other automakers are now following. A larger trend in vehicle dynamics is to utilize increasingly more complex systems to determine handling. Ferrari is an industry leader and benchmark.
Additionally, the questions Ferrari is trying to answer are questions that every passionate automaker must answer as well.
The transition to electric vehicles is certainly happening more slowly than many in the industry thought, but there is no doubt that electric vehicles will continue to be a big part of the automotive world. Anyone who makes high-performance cars will need to sell high-performance electric cars. Lamborghini is delaying making an electric car, but you can bet when it finally does, it will have some impact on Electrica.
So, don’t completely dismiss this car. It’s way more important than you might think.
