Ferrari EV ‘not a supercar’, but the most practical Ferrari ever?

Ferrari’s first electric vehicle (EV), the four-door, four-seat Elettrica (codename), will be unlike any Ferrari before it. It is not a supercar in the traditional sense and, according to the company’s Chief Product Development Officer, Gianmaria Fulgenzi, it will be even more practical than the Purosangue SUV.

“Yes, I can already tell you that it’s not a supercar,” Fulgenzi said during the car’s presentation in Maranello. “We selected this architecture because it allowed us to achieve a centre of gravity 80mm lower and a 20 per cent reduction in polar moment of inertia. These parameters have a noticeable impact on lateral dynamics and usability.”

Ferrari says the Elettrica is designed to be a new kind of daily Ferrari, combining all-electric performance with comfort, range and space. Its platform, packaging and proportions are said to make it more versatile than the Purosangue SUV, despite its lower height and sporting design.

Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna confirmed that the choice not to create a traditional supercar was intentional and made several years ago. He said the decision reflected both technical limitations and the company’s desire to expand the Ferrari experience beyond its existing segments.

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“We were clear, this is not a supercar, because this was a good choice we did a few years ago,” Mr Vigna said. “The battery cell chemistry was not at the point to have a supercar, because in our strategy, supercar is the top of the top of the top of the performances.”

Mr Vigna said Ferrari’s customers had already responded positively to the approach, recognising that the Elettrica’s purpose is to deliver a different kind of emotion rather than chase outright performance records.

“I have to tell you that I already got some insight from some people that I appreciate that we didn’t develop a supercar,” he said. “The message is clear. If the car does what we believe it does, it will have a good acceptance. I trust the team. They know very well how to deliver unique emotion through vehicle dynamics.”

The Elettrica’s technical specification places it among the most advanced Ferraris ever made. It uses a 122kWh structural battery pack integrated into the chassis, designed and assembled in Maranello with cells supplied by SK On in South Korea.

The pack achieves 305Wh/kg at cell level and 195Wh/kg at pack level, operates at 800 volts, and supports 350kW DC fast-charging. Each of the 15 battery modules can be replaced individually as part of Ferrari’s long-term service program.

Ferrari engineers developed almost all major systems internally, including the motors, inverters and control software. More than 60 patents were filed during the project, covering weight reduction, cooling and electrical efficiency.