Ferrari has finally cracked open the door for electrification. The Italian supercar manufacturer unveiled the SF90 Stradale, its first plug-in hybrid.
Purists might turn their noses up to Stradale’s mere 15.5 miles of all electric range. But it’s a milestone for Ferrari nonetheless, and marks a shift in the company’s views and portfolio.
Now, some of the important nuts and bolts. The Stradale has a V8 turbo engine that produces 780 cv (or about 769 horsepower), which the company says is the highest power output of any 8-cylinder Ferraris in its history. Another 216 hp is produced by three electric motors. The motors are located between the engine and 8-speed dual clutch transmission on the rear axle, and two on the front axle.
When combined, the vehicle can travel from 0 to 62 miles per hour in 2.5 seconds.
You can check out the video below to see the supercar in action. Wait — and listen — for the moment when the driver switches to electric power.
The driver can place the Stradale in eDrive mode — Ferrari’s branding for all-electric mode. When the internal combustion engine is turned off, the two independent front motors can deliver a maximum speed of about 83 mph. That’s slow compared to the car’s top speed of 211 mph, which is achieved when the combustion engine is activated. Reverse only uses eDrive mode.
The default setting for the Stradale is to run as a hybrid. The vehicle also has a performance setting, a mode that keeps the internal gas engine running because the priority is more on charging the battery than on efficiency. This mode gives the driver instant and full power.
Then there’s the tech inside the vehicle. The aeronautically designed cockpit has a heads-up display unit that projects information on the front windscreen and in the driver’s field of view. Ferrari has adopted a “hands on the wheel” philosophy in its design. The touch controls are on the steering wheel, which includes a small touch pad on the right side, Voice and cruise controls are on the left-hand spoke of the wheel.
Ferrari has also taken design cues from Formula 1. For instance, the rotary switch for cruise control is a solution derived directly from the Formula 1 car.
Ferrari hasn’t released details on the price yet, nor has it provided information on when the Stradale is coming to market.