Photo: Ferrari
Ferrari is synonymous with excellence, which explains the marque’s slow pace in switching to electric. As CEO Louis Camilleri explained last month, a fully-electric Ferrari will only be made when the technology is perfected to meet the high standards they abide by.
But that’s not to say that Ferrari isn’t looking ahead. Even with the slow adoption and Camilleri’s statement that he couldn’t imagine an EV from the Prancing Horse before 2025, based on current progress, the marque made sure to file a patent for a fully-electric car last July.
The European Patent Office published the patent late last month, and news of it eventually trickled online, after someone posted it to Taycan EV Forum. Illustrations included with the patent filing show a 2-seater sports car with a total of four electric motors, which would make it an all-wheel drive. The application notes that the motors could work independently, but this particular setup would serve just as well for a hybrid.
The text also mentions that one or two electric axles could work with an internal-combustion engine, and notes the possibility that all four electric motors could be present with an engine, for more powertrain possibilities.
It could be that the illustrations are just for exemplification purposes, and it could be that the application of this patent ends up different from what is being described here. After all, we know that many patents don’t even make past this stage and remain confined to paper for all eternity.
However, in this particular case, it’s confirmation that Ferrari is planning for a future in which electric supercars roll on the roads. The first step in that direction has already been made: hybrids will become the norm by 2020, with the first to be delivered later this year: the stunning SF90 Stradale, which also happens to be the most powerful production Ferrari ever built.
Powered by a 4.0-liter V8 combustion engine and three electric motors, it’s able to deliver 986 horsepower and a top speed of 211 mph, and can go 0-60 in just 2.5 seconds. When Ferrari says it’ll switch to electric without compromising the level of excellence it’s become synonymous with, you’d better believe it.
The European Patent Office published the patent late last month, and news of it eventually trickled online, after someone posted it to Taycan EV Forum. Illustrations included with the patent filing show a 2-seater sports car with a total of four electric motors, which would make it an all-wheel drive. The application notes that the motors could work independently, but this particular setup would serve just as well for a hybrid.
The text also mentions that one or two electric axles could work with an internal-combustion engine, and notes the possibility that all four electric motors could be present with an engine, for more powertrain possibilities.
It could be that the illustrations are just for exemplification purposes, and it could be that the application of this patent ends up different from what is being described here. After all, we know that many patents don’t even make past this stage and remain confined to paper for all eternity.
However, in this particular case, it’s confirmation that Ferrari is planning for a future in which electric supercars roll on the roads. The first step in that direction has already been made: hybrids will become the norm by 2020, with the first to be delivered later this year: the stunning SF90 Stradale, which also happens to be the most powerful production Ferrari ever built.
Powered by a 4.0-liter V8 combustion engine and three electric motors, it’s able to deliver 986 horsepower and a top speed of 211 mph, and can go 0-60 in just 2.5 seconds. When Ferrari says it’ll switch to electric without compromising the level of excellence it’s become synonymous with, you’d better believe it.
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