The iconic symbol of supercars, Ferrari has started laying the groundwork ahead of unveiling its first electric car. There is also a sense of pressure that, after being cautious, it must be certain.
Ferrari recently revealed the production chassis and key components that will go into the brand's first-ever pure electric car at its 2025 Capital Market Day.
The new Ferrari Elettrica, born from an innovative approach that breaks the existing mold, embodies cutting-edge technology, overwhelming performance, and the thrilling driving enjoyment that characterizes all Ferrari models. It is founded on the brand's unique engineering philosophy and craftsmanship, which develop and produce all key components in-house.
Ferrari's electrification research began in 2009 with its first hybrid solution derived from a Formula 1 race car. Since then, from the 2010 599 HY-KERS prototype to the 2013 LaFerrari, and through Ferrari's first plug-in hybrid models SF90 Stradale and 296 GTB to the recently revealed 849 Testarossa, it has accumulated and perfected the core technological capabilities needed to develop an outstanding electric car in every respect.
The strategy toward Ferrari's first electric car has been clear from the start. The plan was to introduce it only when the technology capable of guaranteeing the best performance and a true driving experience worthy of the brand's value had been secured. Now the project is ready for mass production and has secured more than 60 proprietary technology patents. Also, for the first time in the brand's history, both the chassis and body shell are made from 75% recycled aluminum, achieving a remarkable reduction of 6.7 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per vehicle.
Structural features include a short overhang, a cockpit positioned close to the front axle, and a battery fully integrated with the vehicle floor. The battery modules are installed between the front and rear axles, with 85% concentrated as low as possible to lower the center of gravity and maximize driving performance. The Ferrari Elettrica achieves a center of gravity 80mm lower than comparable internal combustion models.
At the rear, a split subframe was introduced for the first time in Ferrari history. This suppresses noise and vibration entering the cabin while maintaining the robust stiffness and dynamic driving performance expected of Ferrari vehicles. The third-generation 48V active suspension system, first introduced on the Purosangue and evolved further through the F80, optimally distributes cornering loads to all four wheels, raising comfort, body control and vehicle dynamics to a higher level.
Ferrari's first pure electric car is equipped with two electric axles that are 100% designed and manufactured in-house. Each axle features Halbach array rotors—special magnet array technology that concentrates magnetic force in one direction without wasting magnet strength—developed from F1 technology for application in production models, and a pair of synchronous permanent magnet engines. The front axle has a power density of 3.23 kW/kg with an efficiency of 93% at peak power, while the rear axle achieves a power density of 4.8 kW/kg with the same peak efficiency. The front inverter, producing up to 300 kW, is fully integrated into the axle and weighs only 9 kg.
The battery designed and assembled by Ferrari boasts an energy density of about 195 Wh/kg, the highest among all existing electric cars, and is equipped with a cooling system designed to optimize heat distribution and performance.
The three driving modes—"Range," "Tour" and "Performance"—control energy, available power and traction. Through paddles behind the steering wheel, the driver can directly control torque and power delivery in five progressively increasing stages, experiencing a progressive sense of acceleration and an immersive feeling of becoming one with the car.
The vehicle control unit updates dynamic variables 200 times per second to predict and control suspension, traction and steering functions in advance. This achieves the highest levels of agility, stability and precision.
And the sound, the core identity of every Ferrari, was developed to emphasize the unique characteristics of the electric powertrain. High-precision sensors capture mechanical vibrations from powertrain components and amplify them to deliver vivid sounds that faithfully reflect the dynamic driving experience. This provides direct auditory feedback to the driver and deepens the connection with the car.
Early next year, Ferrari will preview the interior design concept of the new electric car, and in spring a completed model that harmonizes the car's technology and design will be unveiled worldwide.
The chassis of the new Ferrari Elettrica is characterized by an extremely short wheelbase. Inspired by mid-rear engine berlinetta models, this structure places the cockpit close to the front wheels to allow the driver to feel the purest driving feedback while also ensuring excellent accessibility and top-level comfort like Ferrari's GT models.
Adopting this structure involved considerable technical challenges. In particular, given the heavy weight of electric cars, energy absorption in crashes was the biggest issue. Ferrari solved this with innovative solutions. The front shock tower was designed to absorb energy directly during an impact, and the placement of the front electric motor and inverter was optimized to disperse impact energy before it reaches chassis joints. This maximized safety while preserving the integrity of the body structure.
Each of the front and rear axles is equipped with two independent electric motors. These motors work organically to implement torque vectoring—technology that actively distributes driving torque between left and right wheels during cornering—and further enhance driving dynamics.
The front axle, with a total output of 210 kW, can disconnect power delivery across all speed ranges up to top speed and switch the vehicle to rear-wheel drive to maximize efficiency in driving situations where four-wheel drive is not needed. Under maximum acceleration, the front axle can deliver up to 3,500 Nm of torque to the wheels.
The power distribution between the front and rear axles is asymmetric. The rear axle boasts a peak power of 620 kW and a power density of 4.8 kW/kg, delivering 93% efficiency at peak output. In particular, in "Performance Launch" mode, the maximum rear torque delivered to the road reaches a staggering 8,000 Nm.
The development of the permanent magnet synchronous engines mounted on the axles was a challenge that pushed existing technology to its limits. The impressive torque and power density are achievements made possible by Ferrari's motorsport heritage. Through meticulous design that leaves no minor detail overlooked, structures were optimized and materials delivering the best performance were used.
Thanks to high rotational speeds—25,500 rpm for the rear motor and 30,000 rpm for the front motor—the rear and front deliver peak outputs of 310 kW and 105 kW respectively, while realizing an axle structure that maximizes space efficiency with a compact size. Surface-mounted permanent magnets split into multiple pieces were used on the rotor to improve efficiency. Additionally, adopting the motorsport-derived Halbach array structure concentrates the magnetic field toward the stator, maximizing torque density and reducing overall weight.
The battery, 100% designed and assembled by Ferrari, is perfectly integrated with the vehicle floor and succeeds in lowering the center of gravity by 80 mm compared with comparable internal combustion models. The vehicle center section uses an integrated optimized design to minimize the weight of the battery and chassis systems while maximizing vehicle dynamic performance. Eighty-five percent of the total modules are placed under the vehicle floor (floor pan), with the remaining modules located under the rear seats. This arrangement enables an ideal weight distribution of 47:53.
The battery is composed of 15 modules in total (six dual rows, one single row, and two top modules). This configuration optimally uses available space without lengthening the wheelbase, contributing to the vehicle's agility. Each module contains 14 cells connected by resistance welding, a fast and precise welding method that uses electrical resistance as the heat source, and cells are separated by insulating partitions and conductive metal partitions.
The inverter is another representative case of Ferrari Engineering pushing drivetrain technology to the limit, combining extreme performance, compact size and perfect control. This inverter converts the battery's high-voltage direct current into alternating current to power the electric motors, and conversely converts energy recovered through regenerative braking from alternating current back to direct current to recharge the battery pack.
Instead of artificially reproducing the tone of an internal combustion engine, Ferrari chose to highlight the unique characteristics of the electric drivetrain. The sound of the Ferrari Elettrica is not a digitally created artificial noise but an authentic expression of the sounds that components produce. It works like an electric guitar: rather than producing sound by the resonance of the body like an acoustic guitar, a pickup (sensor) detects string vibrations and sends them to an amplifier to produce amplified sound. High-precision sensors on the rear axle capture the powertrain's frequencies and amplify them to emit the sound externally.
Thanks to the lowered center of gravity and increased design freedom afforded by the electric powertrain, the active suspension system applied to the Purosangue and the suspension system of the latest supercar F80 could be evolved substantially.
Shock absorbers lost 2 kg through newly optimized designs. A thermocouple that monitors and controls lubricant temperature is now integrated to ensure consistent performance in both high- and low-temperature environments. The active suspension system independently controls forces acting in the vertical direction on each of the four wheels. The active suspension works organically with the four-motor powertrain and four-wheel steering system to, for the first time in Ferrari history, perfectly control the vehicle's vertical, longitudinal and lateral movements in all driving situations. Through this, the Ferrari Elettrica delivers the thrilling driving excitement befitting the Ferrari name.
One of the trade marks of Ferrari vehicles is relentless acceleration. The Ferrari Elettrica offers a thrilling and immersive driving experience through the "Torque Shift Engagement" strategy, which unfolds torque in stages. This leverages the optimized structure and instantaneous response of electric motors. Ferrari engineers designed the system so the driver can sequentially select five progressively stronger power and torque stages via the right paddle shift, allowing powerful acceleration across a very wide speed range. The instant response of the electric motors makes the brief torque gaps that inevitably occur when shifting stages nearly imperceptible. This gives the driver time to fully enjoy acceleration and experience seemingly endless thrust. During braking, the left paddle shift can be used to recreate progressively stronger engine braking effects, a function specially tuned to provide a more thrilling driving experience.
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