Italian luxury sports car maker Ferrari chose Rome’s iconic Vela di Calatrava – Città dello Sport as the stage to unveil the fully electric Ferrari Luce – the brand’s first-ever EV; a launch that symbolises the brand’s ongoing journey of excellence and groundbreaking innovation.
Ferrari won its first ever victory in Rome in 1947, with the Ferrari 125 Swinning the Gran Premio di Roma at the Baths of Caracalla circuit. On that decisive day, driver Franco Cortese set in motion an unimaginable legend of success. Some 79 years later, Ferrari returns to unveil a project that reinforces its unwavering commitment to redefine the limits of what is possible.
The Ferrari Luce – it’s first-ever EV – marks the culmination of Maranello’s multi-energy strategy, announced at the 2022 Capital Markets Day and subsequently confirmed on various occasions. In accordance with the principle of technological neutrality, electrification is just one of the means available to Ferrari to expand its design potential in product architecture, performance, design and driving experience, without replacing existing engines.
“With Ferrari Luce, we are once again redefining the limits of what is possible,” said John Elkann, President of Ferrari.
“Today, we are not simply unveiling a new car, we are inaugurating a chapter that turns our vision into reality, strengthening Ferrari’s tradition of anticipating and shaping the future.
“Such a leap forward in product innovation could only have been achieved through process innovation; this is why we chose to embark on new collaborations, such as the one with LoveFrom for the design. And, as always, our research and engineering excellence have been placed at the service of driving emotions, without compromise. Rome, the symbolic location of our first victory, becomes the starting point for a Ferrari that lights up the future and opens new horizons.”
Deepening the Prancing Horse’s in-house expertise in electric technology opens new potential for performance and efficiency across the entire Ferrari ecosystem. This includes technology transfer between road cars and the 499P that triumphed in the last edition of the World Endurance Championship and the bold Ferrari Hypersail project, a unique laboratory of research and innovation. Ferrari Luce expands the Maranello marque’s expertise still further, opening up a new segment consistent with Maranello’s DNA of combining performance, engagement and versatility.
The Ferrari Luce name evokes clarity and direction. It lights the way towards the future and defines the intent to create a Ferrari 360°, not merely the ‘electric Ferrari’ but an entirely new Ferrari, designed for deeper engagement and performance, with a unique and recognisable character.
“We are convinced that a company demonstrates its leadership when it has the courage to dare and to take on the challenge of new technologies,” said Benedetto Vigna, CEO of Ferrari.
“Ferrari Luce was born precisely from this challenge, offering our unprecedented vision of electrification. Never before have we offered our clients such freedom of choice.
“In line with our belief in technological neutrality, we are the first in the world to combine fully electric, hybrid and combustion engine architectures for sports cars. We have not limited ourselves to innovation in powertrains; with Luce, we have launched a whole new segment in our range.
The Result of Over 60 New Ferrari Patents
“This model is the result of more than 60 of our new patents and lies at the heart of an ecosystem of collaborations with outstanding technology partners. We have created a car that combines unique driving emotions with extraordinary performance, driving pleasure and comfort for the Ferraristi of today and tomorrow.”
In keeping with tradition, Ferrari chose to engineer, develop and manufacture the main components in-house; from the electric engines to the battery pack, every element is created in Maranello to guarantee quality, control and uniqueness. In the future, Ferrari will provide assistance on all electric components, including batteries, in line with the Ferrari Forever philosophy.
The design of the Ferrari Luce was entrusted to LoveFrom, the design collective led by Sir Jony Iveand Marc Newson. Introducing a team from outside the Ferrari Design Studio led by Flavio Manzoniinvited a new perspective and cross-fertilisation, enabling a new design language to be introduced.
LoveFrom was given the creative freedom needed to define the design direction of the project from the outset, translating this design language into an authentic Ferrari experience. The electric power source, Ferrari-engineered engines and advanced drivetrain affords a radically new architecture that uniquely combines extraordinary Ferrari performance with the luxury of spaciousness.
Four Doors, Five Seats: A First for Ferrari
This architecture generously accommodates 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 is a celebration of hundreds of discrete products, each meticulously considered and treated with individual care. Together they create a single, clean volume, with forms simplified and rationalised in service of the driving experience. The exterior, interior and interface share a unified design language.
From a technical perspective, the Ferrari Luce is based on a bespoke platform with a dedicated chassis and engineering innovations in every single component. Technologies derived from Ferrari’s unrivalled experience in the world of motor racing made it possible to contain kerb weight at 2,260 kg, helping deliver best‑in‑class performance (0–100 km/h in 2.5 seconds, 0–200 km/h in 6.8 seconds, top speed over 310 km/h and maximum total power output of 1050 cv) and a range in excess of 530 km.
The car is powered by four electric engines, one per wheel, and is equipped with a high‑capacity 122 kWh battery, an active suspension system derived from the F80 and an independently steering rear axle. Within this framework of technological innovation, two concepts best encapsulate Ferrari Luce’s ambitious entry into the world of high‑performance electric sports cars: the control of each wheel’s motion in every direction and in any dynamic condition, and the authentic approach to sound.
Vehicle dynamics have been developed to exploit the unprecedented advantages of the electric architecture in terms of centre of gravity, inertia and freedom of control, allowing the Ferrari Luce to maintain dynamic behaviour that is always agile and natural. The driver manages the car via the e-Manettino, which modulates power and traction, and the iconic five-position Manettino equipped with logics that adapt to grip conditions.
The Debut of the Vehicle Control Unit
The Vehicle Control Unit (VCU) makes its debut on the Ferrari Luce. This control centre integrates powertrainand dynamics, updating targets 200 times per second and coordinating efficiency strategies with the brand-new Side Slip Control X.
The electric all-wheel drive is a first for a Ferrari. It allows the full potential of torque vectoring to always make the car precise and responsive, while the new torque shift engagementand extended regenerative braking deliver a progression of torque and engine braking worthy of a sports car.
The new Vehicle Control Unit (VCU), manages a three‑line network: 800 V (engines), 48 V (active suspension), and 12 V (auxiliaries). The VCU interprets driver inputs and component status, governing power delivery and energy recovery and updating actuation targets 200 times per second.
Furthermore, the innovation of the Ferrari Luce’s e‑Manettino ‘Range’ mode, results in a much lower consumption (around 15%) with the same smoothness of travel.
The Ferrari Luce marks a new chapter, yet one that continues its long history of uncompromising innovation, driving performance, and an engineering culture that seeks to redefine the limits of what is possible.
Design
The Ferrari Luce is the first electric Ferrari from the Maranello marque. Its design was approached in an unconventional way, intended to underline its uniqueness on a technological level as well – hence the idea of entrusting the project to a designer from outside the Ferrari Design Studio, headed by Flavio Manzoni.
The creative collective LoveFrom was brought on board and tasked with bringing an unconventional, multidisciplinary perspective and experience of the luxury sector to enable cross-fertilisation and inspire new design languages.
The Ferrari Luce has acquired such a specific identity precisely because
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