Ferrari has taken the covers off its first ever fully electric vehicle, the five-seat four-door Luce EV. Dubbed the culmination of Maranello’s multi-energy strategy, its main components, including the electric engines and battery pack, have been engineered in-house.
Its design was entrusted to LoveFrom, the design collective led by Sir Jony Ive and Marc Newson. Introducing a team from outside the Ferrari Design Studio led by Flavio Manzoni invited a new perspective, enabling a new design language to be introduced.
Given the creative freedom to define the design direction from the outset, this translated into an authentic Ferrari experience. The electric power source, Ferrari-engineered engines and advanced drivetrain affords a radically new architecture too.
That means four doors and five seats, which is a first for the Prancing Horse (as transaxle configurations with a front-mid engine and a rear gearbox do not allow for a fifth seat). The interior presents as a single clean volume, with simplified forms and shapes.
Ferrari describes the unprecedented purity of the glasshouse as the car’s defining feature. Its shell-like form extends below the belt line to the extremes of the body, ensuring the front and rear aerodynamic wings float above and around the silhouette.
The front and rear light panels are transparent and part of the primary surfaces. The halo tail lights celebrate the beauty and clarity of the 360 Modena and 458 Italia. The Luce has the largest staggered wheel diameters on a series-production Ferrari road car.
For those wondering, that’s 23-inch at the front and 24-inch at the rear. Inside, precision-engineered mechanical buttons, dials, toggles and switches are combined with multifunctional digital displays developed with Samsung.
The audio system has 21 speakers and 24 channel/3000W amplification. From a technical perspective, the Ferrari Luce is based on a bespoke platform with a dedicated chassis. It tips the scales at 2260kg.
Acceleration to 100km/h takes just 2.5 seconds, via 772kW of power and a range of 530km. It’s powered by four electric motors (one per wheel), and sports a 122kWh battery, and an active suspension system derived from the F80.
Each wheel is equipped with one actuator for traction and regeneration, one for the steering angle and one to control vertical movement. The ability to adapt torque distribution in real time to road conditions provides exceptional freedom and precision of control.
Torque vectoring and the elastic balance of the suspension system also assist in changing direction, enhancing the car’s agility and ease of driving. Sound too plays a key role, with a precision accelerometer at the centre of the axle.
It captures the dynamic texture and vibration of the rotating components while the sound waves are moving (similar to an electric guitar). Sound is then emitted via an external amplification system that creates a natural sound wave.
An internal system ensures detail and high fidelity. Conversely, the Luce benefits from cutting-edge noise, vibration and harshness research. The latter makes it the most comfortable Ferrari ever.
Vehicle dynamics have also been developed to exploit the unprecedented advantages of the electric architecture, including new side slip control X, and electric all-wheel drive. The high-voltage battery supports fast charging up to 350kW.
Further details, including pricing and a local release plan, are yet to be determined. You can find out more from your local Ferrari dealership.
