Ferrari holds down the idea of making a pure electric supercar

KUALA LUMPUR: While several companies are planning to release their electric supercars in the near future, the Italian icon, Ferrari portrays different views regarding this. The automaker has turned down the idea of a pure electric supercar, for now, as it anticipates that the battery technology is still not up to supercar standards. 

In a recent interview with UK magazine AutoCar, Ferrari’s chief marketing, and commercial officer, Enrico Galliera said that no electric vehicle could be expected from the company for at least five years.

He further added, “We firmly believe that battery technology is not yet developed enough to meet the needs of a supercar. In the next five years, we do not believe the technology will be able to meet the needs of a Ferrari.”

Upon asking for comment on the competitors’ plans of electric supercar development, he said, “Ferrari will not be rushed.”

“There are some competitors entering the market with new (electric) technology that we will look at, but will that be a problem to Ferrari? I think not, because of the specific niche Ferrari targets,” said Mr. Galliera. “Will that trigger interest in that market for Ferrari? No.”

These statements of Mr. Galliera exactly matches with the words stated by Ferrari CEO Louis Camilleri last year. When leaked patent images of a future model with an electric motor for each wheel appeared, Camilleri said a fully electric Ferrari would come out after 2025.

Currently, the brand has only a single plug-in hybrid vehicle in its lineup, SF90 Stradale, which houses a 3.9-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine and three electric motors, combinedly producing 1000 PS of maximum power.

The electric supercars of rival brands are:

• Automobili Pininfarina has Pininfarina Battista in its lineup
• Lotus has showcased Evija electric hypercar with delivery scheduled in the year
• Koenigsegg also revealed its electric Gemera 'Mega-GT' earlier this year
• Lamborghini plans for Sián, as its first hybrid supercar
• Tesla announced the electric Roadster model to have supercar levels of performance, earlier this month

So, how the battery technology fits well for these brands will be seen in the coming months. 

Also read: Coronavirus impact: Ferrari delays new model debuts by 4 months