Recently revealed patent filings from Ferrari show that, unlike just about every other carmaker, its first electric car probably won’t be an SUV. Instead, the first electric Ferrari might look something like this: a swoopy, battery-powered electric supercar!
The illustrations in this new patent application are a significant evolution on the first electric Ferrari patent drawings we showed you back in 2020. The new ones describe a floor pan and chassis with space for two distinct battery packs. There seems to be a larger unit mounted in the rear of the vehicle — similar in concept to the 2000 hp all-electric Lotus Evija supercar, where the battery pack and drive motors occupy that “mid-engine” space traditionally used for the ICE motor and fuel tanks — as well as a wide, flat pack fitted “skateboard-style” beneath the passenger compartment. In both cases, the batteries seem to be fixed to their own floor section, which would imply that, despite the technology’s growing popularity in the all-important Chinese market, the as-yet unnamed electric Ferrari will not offer battery-swapping at its launch.
Take a look at the patent drawings for yourself, and see what you think of the design.
Patent drawings are public domain.
Now, for those of you wondering why Ferrari (and, indeed, Lotus, Polestar, and most of the other specifically sporting brands) wouldn’t stick strictly to a GM Ultium-like skateboard solution instead of something more like this, here is British TV presenter and noted car-guy James May explaining the design choice on his DriveTribe show.
James May Checks Out the 2000 HP, Electric Lotus Evija
Electric Ferrari Coming Soon
Speaking at the Ferrari Annual General Meeting last year, the brand’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, John Elkann said, “(Ferrari) are continuing to execute our electrification strategy in a highly disciplined way, and our interpretation and application of these technologies both in motor sport and in road cars is a huge opportunity to bring the uniqueness and passion of Ferrari to new generations … we are also very excited about our first all-electric Ferrari that we plan to unveil in 2025 and you can be sure this will be everything you dream the engineers and designers at Maranello can imagine for such a landmark in our history.”
I think it’s safe to say we can start to get excited here – but don’t go writing an eulogies for Ferrari’s internal combustion engines quite yet. Even though these patent drawings show a new platform designed with fully electric powertrains in mind, AutoExpress UK reports that Ferrari insiders say the company has “left enough space” in the new vehicle platform for a plugin hybrid (PHEV) or conventional hybrid Ferrari (HEV) to be built on the same underpinnings, complete with an internal combustion engine.
Which — look, the Tesla/EV maximalists are always going to have a problem with any ICE engine, but a low-volume, syngas-capable engine that helps make PHEVs and EVs seem aspirational to the normies? The Ferrari SF90 Hybrid hypercar is already doing a great job there, and I can’t imagine an electric Ferrari will do anything but make electric cars seem more appealing.
Source | Images: Patent Office, via AutoExpress UK; video by DriveTribe.
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