As arguably the most passionate and soulful car company in history, Ferrari's successes in the automotive world are the result of selling extravagant cars to the wealthiest among us. The (usually) scarlet-clad supercars shout and roar as ferocious beasts bent on destroying their tires, their character reducing even the most reticent driver to a hysterical puddle of joy.
Unfortunately, all of that could change in the coming years. Speaking with Automotive News, Ferrari CEO, Benedetto Vigna, admitted the transition to electric cars is inevitable. Right or wrong, some regulators at a certain point decided that the [global] community should go into electric, he said.
Reassuringly, when asked about EV giant Tesla, the Ferrari boss said they will adopt a very different approach to electrification from the American company. Tesla has been wildly successful with its own formula, but the prancing horse will forge a different, fun-focused path towards electric vehicles.
The CEO Of Ferrari Doesn't Want Fun To Follow Function
Well, people might say Tesla is focused on fun! For crying out loud, this is a car company that has fart noises, and a Christmas light show programmed into its software system! As Vigna points out, Tesla cars are more utilitarian than they are enjoyable to drive. They can get from point A to point B more cleanly than gas-powered cars, which is what most of its buyers care about. To avoid the problem, Ferrari plans to flip this mentality on its head. Vigna said current EV manufacturers are looking too much into the technology itself - things like axial flow, radial flow, and power density.
These are important priorities for the sake of evolving batteries and electric motors, but they don't necessarily make for a fun car. Tesla's primary competitive advantage is that it's a technology company first and a car company second. Since they aren't very enthralled with the act of driving a car, younger, tech-focused consumers are drawn to this ethos. The plethora of gimmicks and software tricks sell the cars. But all the energy is spent on creating a digital car ownership experience - not a visceral one.
How Ferrari's Electric Car Is Going To Be Different?
For some drivers, all they need is an appliance to travel to and fro their workplaces and homes. But people spending north of $250,000 on a sports car expect anything but an ordinary, functional experience. They want it to be unpredictable, maybe even a bit snappy and wild at times. In other words, they want the car to take on a somewhat human personality - inherently compromised but lovable at the end of the day.
The Ferrari CEO said electrification is a new way to provide customers with a unique driving experience. And he has no doubt that their electric powertrains will give clients the same thrills as combustion engines. Along the same line, he said, "Driving thrills is a combination of factors: longitudinal acceleration, lateral acceleration, sound, gear-changing, and braking. This doesn't change if the powertrain is electric."
The good people at Maranello don't care how good the technology is that powers an electric car if it's just going to bore you to tears. Benedetto Vigna argues that technology is just a tool, and car companies pour too much money into it because there's a lack of deep knowledge.
What Does An EV Future Look Like For Ferrari?
Ferrari's boss said there is room for a mix of technologies in the portfolio right now. This includes the internal combustion-only Purosangue SUV that debuted recently, as well as the not-of-this-Earth-fast SF90 hybrid - which will destroy nearly everything in a drag race. In their current state, electric vehicles don't deliver the kind of excitement Ferrari customers are looking for. Naturally, then, it is focusing its business model on a mix of technologies for as long as its feasible.
It will be interesting to see how the company from Maranello intends on executing this philosophy. Auto manufacturers currently selling EVs are trying to make them more exciting with things like audio synthesizers that replicate induction noises. Other strategies include making them nauseatingly fast or offering advanced driver assistance technologies.
If these attempts aren't good enough, according to Vigna, then maybe we'll have supercars from Ferrari that are still wildly fun to drive but only have a range of 100 miles. Ask most current Ferrari owners if that's a trade-off they're willing to accept - and there's a fair shot they'd say yes.
Companies like Ford, Volkswagen, and Hyundai spend a lot of money trying to make their EVs as good as they can be on paper. But they don't have the time or the resources to create something that appeals to one's emotions.
This is the trap that Ferrari is trying to avoid falling into. Whatever happens, automotive enthusiasts around the globe eagerly anticipate Ferrari's entry into the EV world. Hopefully, the Scuderia can deliver the same excitement it has provided for the last three-quarters of a century.
Ferrari's first upcoming EV will debut in 2025 and go on sale the following year.
Sources: Automotive News, Ferrari