Luce, the first electric five-seater Ferrari breaks tradition and causes controversy

Italian luxury sports car manufacturer Ferrari has officially unveiled its long-awaited first all-electric model, the Luce. Exactly 79 years after their driver Franco Cortese in the Ferrari 125 S took the marque’s first win at the Rome Grand Prix, Ferrari returned to the Italian capital to mark the beginning of a new chapter in its engineering history.

Ferrari Luce represents the pinnacle of the company’s strategy, which now wants to offer customers cars with multiple types of powertrains. In accordance with the principle of technological neutrality, electrification for Ferrari therefore does not mean replacing existing internal combustion engines, but expanding the design and performance potential within the entire ecosystem – and the Luce model is a real indicator of the trend of departure from tradition and immediately after its presentation as such it caused divided reactions.

Radical new architecture

More than 60 new patents were implemented in the development of Luce, and all key components, including the electric motors and battery pack, were developed and manufactured in-house in Maranello. The independent design collective LoveFrom, led by former Apple designers, was hired to design the car Sir Jonyjem Iveom i by Marc Newsonwho collaborated with the home studio under the guidance of Flavius ​​Manzoni. This cooperation enabled the creation of a radically new architecture, which for the first time in the history of this brand brings a configuration with four doors and five seats, which was previously unfeasible due to technical limitations, primarily the configuration of the powertrain.

The Luce’s exterior is characterized by a shell-shaped glass surface that extends below the window line, while floating aerodynamic “wings” at the front and rear allow for exceptionally clean body lines. The front and rear lights are integrated into transparent surfaces and visually retract when switched off, and the 23″ front and 24″ rear wheels are the largest ever fitted to a production road-going Ferrari. The interior of the vehicle eliminates the central tunnel, and the interface, developed in collaboration with Samsung Display, combines multi-function digital screens with mechanical buttons made of anodized aluminum and Corning Gorilla glass. The audio system is in charge of Ferrari Audio Signature with 21 speakers and a power of 3,000 W.

Technique and performance

The drivetrain of the Luce model consists of four synchronous electric motors with permanent magnets and radial flow – one on each wheel – which are powered by a structural battery with a capacity of 122 kWh. The system works on an 800 V architecture and supports fast charging with a power of up to 350 kW, while the total weight of the vehicle is kept at 2,260 kg thanks to the advanced use of aluminum parts. The car develops a maximum power of 1,050 hp, achieves acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.5 seconds, from 0 to 200 km/h in 6.8 seconds, and a maximum speed of more than 310 km/h, with a declared range exceeding 530 km.

The vehicle’s innovative dynamics rely on active suspension derived from the F80 model and independent rear axle steering. Each wheel is equipped with separate actuators for traction, steering angle and vertical movement, which allows the distribution of torque in real time, while the operation of the system is coordinated by a new control unit that updates data 200 times per second and cooperates with the new Side Slip Control X system.

An authentic acoustic experience

Special attention was paid to acoustics and comfort, so Luce is equipped with the first elastically defined subframe in the history of Maranello, which significantly reduces road noise. The sonic identity of the car is completely authentic and generated mechanically: a precise accelerometer at the center of the axle registers the vibrations of the rotating components, after which the signal is filtered, passed through an equalizer and amplified by a patented system similar to that of electric guitars. The sound intensity directly depends on the position of the lever (e-Manettino) and is emitted through the internal and external speaker system.

Of course, digital options characteristic of modern luxury vehicles are built into the infotainment system, so Luce can be connected to an application, supports Apple and Google Maps, enables remote monitoring of the state of charge, initiation of charging or preconditioning of the battery, and the like.

The aerodynamic design made it possible to achieve the lowest coefficient of air resistance in the history of road models of this brand, in which the active aerodynamic grills and the possibility of automatically lowering the front part of the vehicle by 10 mm at higher speeds play a key role. Integrated software monitors the heating system, manages fast charging and enables remote conditioning of the cabin and battery. In terms of sustainability, Ferrari used secondary recycled aluminum alloys in the production of the chassis and bodywork, which reduced carbon dioxide emissions during the production process by approximately 70 percent of the vehicle’s total mass.

Ferrari has not officially announced the start of production, but it is said that the starting price of this “iPhone from Maranello” should be around 550,000 euros, once it reaches the market at the end of this year.