Hell Freezes Over! Ferrari Makes an Electric Car!
Or at least reveals an electric chassis that will go under an electric car next year.By Mark VaughnPublished: Oct 09, 2025 11:34 AM EDT
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- Ferrari pulled the wraps off its first pure-EV chassis, the Elettrica.
- The four-door, four-seat BEV promises a 0-60 mph time of under 2.5 seconds, a top speed of 193 mph, and a range of 330 miles on the European WLTP cycle.
- More will be revealed in Q1 of 2026.
After dabbling in hybrids for several years, Ferrari announced it will be making its first-ever, full-on battery electric vehicle for sale in Q2 of next year, to be called the Elettrica.
The company pulled the cover off what turned out to be just the chassis of the EV today in Maranello. There are no photos the car’s body yet, and Ferrari isn’t even saying what body type will sit atop the new chassis except to say that it will have four seats, four doors, and will be powered through all four wheels via four electric motors.
“Today is an historic day for us,” said CEO Benedetto Vigna, who told Reuters the electric car would complement, not replace, the company’s existing models. “The EV is an addition, not a transition.”
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BEV componentry from the Ferrari Elettrica.
But a fairly thrilling addition. Ferrari assures us it will be just as thrilling to drive as any of its long line of previously thrilling internal combustion-engined cars.
For instance, the electric motors can spool up to full rpms in less than one second, Ferrari says. With an output of over 1,000 hp, the car will launch to 60 mph from a standstill in less than 2.5 seconds, despite a curb weight of approximately 5,070 pounds. That curb weight and the 122-kWh battery will reside mostly under the floor, in what Ferrari promises is a center of gravity more than three inches lower than an equivalent ICE vehicle.
Range from the whole setup is listed at over 330 miles, but that’s on the wildly optimistic European WLTP cycle, not our EPA cycle, so maybe 300 or so miles here in the US? Maybe a little more than that? We’ll have to see.
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The Elettrica is not a reshaped, reimagined vehicle from another manufacturer, either. Ferrari went to great lengths to reassure the world that it developed the car and all its components in-house in Maranello.
“This model is a milestone in the brand’s multi-energy strategy, which encompasses internal combustion engines, HEV, and PHEV powertrains, and now fully electric drive,” Ferrari said, adding that the new EV prancing horse will offer “superlative performance and the extraordinary driving pleasure that distinguishes every Ferrari model.”
Ferrari says it was waiting to build an EV until technology had advanced to the point it offered the necessary performance to warrant wearing the company logo.
“The strategy leading Ferrari towards the first electric model in its history was clear from the outset: that a model such as this would only be introduced once the technology available could ensure the superlative performance and authentic driving experience befitting the values of the brand.”
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Curb weight is over 5,000 pounds.
Ferrari will achieve that superlative performance with four synchronous permanent magnet electric motors—one for each wheel—operating independently to allow torque vectoring for better acceleration and grip under all operating modes. A function called Torque Shift Engagement divides the motors’ output into five different levels of power and torque, selectable sequentially from the right-hand paddle shifter “to deliver a progressively stronger acceleration over a very broad range of speeds,” Ferrari said. Is that like adding “steps” in a CVT? It’s unclear.
Both front motors can be switched off at any speed “to transform the car to rear-wheel drive and maximize efficiency.” But when you stomp on the accelerator, the rear axle alone can produce 2,582 lb-ft of torque. Switch to Performance Launch Mode and the maximum torque to the rear wheels hits 5,900 lb-ft.
“The strategy leading Ferrari towards the first electric model in its history was clear from the outset.”
Should be fun.
There are three drive modes: Range, Tour, and Performance, adjustable via the manettino switch on the steering wheel, as in other Ferraris, except that here it’s called an eManettino. In most driving conditions, power, and torque go to the rear axle only, but when conditions call for it, the front motors are engaged.
The Elettrica sits on “an extremely short” 116.5-inch wheelbase, with short front and rear overhangs, Ferrari said. The forward driving position assures “the purest dynamic feedback,” but doesn’t compromise safety in the event of a crash, the carmaker says.
The architecture features a driving position “close to the front axle,” and a battery integrated completely into the floorpan. Rear components will be housed in a separate subframe, the first ever in a Ferarri, the company claims, to reduce noise and vibration. Further ride comfort will come from the third generation of Ferrari’s 48-volt active suspension first introduced on the Purosangue and later on the F80.
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Ferrari also takes a unique approach to the sound you will hear from the Elettrica. The sound will not be digitally generated, Ferrari promises, but will instead be “an authentic expression of its components.”
“A high-precision sensor on the rear axle picks up the frequencies of the powertrain, which are amplified and projected into the surroundings as with an electric guitar.”
A virtual Jimi Hendrix experience!
But while releasing details of this first EV, Ferrari has also shifted its once-ambitious approach to electrification. Its vehicle lineup for the year 2030 will now include 40% internal combustion engine models, 40% hybrids, and 20% fully electric. That’s down from what it planned three years ago, which was to have 40% electric, 40% hybrids, and only 20% ICE.
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Sales of ultra-high-performance EVs have not been what carmakers thought they’d be just a few years ago, and most are dialing back their EV plans. But they’re not eliminating them.
EVs can be downright thrilling, if you’ve ever driven something like a Rimac or a Pininfarina Battista. So give them a chance. The future can offer a lot of options for fun driving.
Mark Vaughn grew up in a Ford family and spent many hours holding a trouble light over a straight-six miraculously fed by a single-barrel carburetor while his father cursed the Blue Oval, all its products and everyone who ever worked there. This was his introduction to objective automotive criticism. He started writing for City News Service in Los Angeles, then moved to Europe and became editor of a car magazine called, creatively, Auto. He decided Auto should cover Formula 1, sports prototypes and touring cars—no one stopped him! From there he interviewed with Autoweek at the 1989 Frankfurt motor show and has been with us ever since.
