New Ferrari Luce will kick off a highly ambitious new era
Spied for the last time before it reveals all, Ferrari’s Luce is going to turn some heads!
The long-awaited Ferrari Luce is just about to be revealed, but before it starts drawing crowds we’ve spotted it undergoing its final calibration testing around the factory gates.
Luce prototypes have taken many forms over the years, but the late covered prototype in our images is finally now revealing more design secrets of Ferrari’s first electric car.
Get ready, the Luce won’t look like a new Ferrari, but it could look like an old one
It’s clear that while Luce is an EV, there’s still a lot of aero management at play on the car’s nose. The lower bumper features three openings – much like Ferrari models from the 2000s – with slim daytime running lights mounted above what look to be hidden headlights.
There are also upright slits at the bumper’s edge that will act as air-curtains, and despite the boxy cladding, we suspect its bonnet will be much lower and remain relatively flat.
While the cladding does conceal much of the main body, it can’t hide the car’s fundamental proportions. The large windscreen and low scuttle point are quite far forward, as per many mid-engined Ferrari models, and there’s a definite rise to the belt-line and sloping roofline.
Towards the rear end, there’s a relatively short overhang with a tapering lower bumper and small rectangular opening. This is a vastly different look from the aggressively complex diffusers of Ferrari’s other models.
A detail that’s not been previously seen, however, are the rear lights, and it appears that the classic Ferrari double-round design will return. This was a trademark of Ferrari designs for decades, and suggests that the retro-modern styling that has been applied to the interior, will also be applied to the exterior, too.
Interior design and technology by Apple (sort of)
As was confirmed with the controversial interior, this is not a normal Ferrari. Rather than being a project from the in-house design team – led by Flavio Manzoni – the Italian brand has turned to LoveFrom, a design consortium co-founded by Sir Johnny Ive and Marc Newson, arguably two of the most influential industrial designers of all time. They have probably designed something in your house, if not in your hands right now.
Ironically, the development of its interior design didn’t start with digital interfaces, but more traditional product design in the form of the steering wheel. Reflecting a desire to draw a tighter connection to the brand’s heritage, the Luce’s new steering wheel takes inspiration from the iconic Nardi wheels of the fifties and sixties.
Made from machined aluminium with an exposed structure, the wheel has two simple analogue button groups on each upper spoke, creating a simplified aesthetic. This is in stark contrast to the brand’s existing steering wheels, which are covered in different controls scattered across the front and back.
Behind the new wheel is a binnacle that’s attached directly to the steering column. It features a complex arrangement of OLED screens that create a three-dimensional effect from the driver’s perspective. It does this by layering two displays, with the forward one featuring cut-outs that reveal the second screen behind. By moving with the wheel, it ensures the perspective remains optimised perfectly for the driver no matter their driving position.
The interfaces themselves are also designed to emulate classic rotary dials, with Ferrari claiming they have a watch-like clarity, while referencing classic instruments from the fifties and sixties – just like the steering wheel.
The main centre display is mounted onto the dashboard via a ball-and-socket, allowing the screen to rotate towards either driver or passenger. Underneath sits a palm-rest, which makes using the main touchscreen interface easier while on the move. However, this is more than just a screen, as it also incorporates a mechanical ‘multigraph’, or, in other words, a fancy clock with individually controlled hands that sit over the top of the main touchscreen to create the look and feel of a mechanical clockface.
There are a few physical toggle switches that control on-screen functions, which will bring a nice tactility to the interface, and the digital interface itself is also brand new and more contemporary. It’s not just the physical design that’s taken a few cues from Apple, but the software, too.
The key and drive-selector have also been given a futuristic update, with both now made of a glass-crystal that uses sci-fi tech in its manufacturing. The key also has a clever ‘e-ink’ display that changes when the key is inserted into its dock on the centre console. And to reassure those with bad memories of digital BMW keys and the endless need to charge them, we’re told this type of display only draws energy during colour changes. Ironically, BMW is also in development of this e-ink tech, which we should see later this decade.
The interior design that all this new tech sits in is just as innovative, but in a nostalgic way. The simple, straightforward dashboard and brutally clean aesthetic is a world away from Ferrari’s current interiors, and seems to signal a shift towards a completely different look and feel that could well be channelled to the car’s exterior design, too. We’ll have to wait until May to see the whole picture.
If you can't wait for the Ferrari Luce to arrive, you can get your hands on a used Ferrari through our Buy a Car service. A used Ferrari California T can be yours for less than £80,000.
How much power will the Ferrari Luce have?
Like the Rimac Nevera hypercar or BMW’s tyre-roasting VDX concept, the Ferrari Luce will feature four independent electric motors – two on each axle. These will work together to deliver just over 1,000bhp, which is about the same as the new Ferrari 849 Testarossa.
However, the Testarossa’s plug-in hybrid petrol V8 can’t come close to the EV’s combined 11,500Nm of torque when Launch mode is activated. The 0-62mph sprint will take 2.5 seconds while the top speed is set to be 193mph.
The compact design of the e-motor is derived from Ferrari’s Formula One technology. It utilises a water cooling system and thermal conductivity resin to distribute the heat generated.
Within the front e-axle unit is an all-new disconnect device that can completely decouple the motors from the car’s front wheels to boost efficiency when extra traction isn’t required, such as when cruising on a motorway. This new system can engage or disengage the two motors in just 500 milliseconds, and Ferrari says its 70 per cent lighter than previous versions.
The Luce’s four motors will provide torque vectoring when cornering, meaning the car will control the speed of each motor for greater agility. This should also make the 2.3-tonne EV feel lighter than it is.
There will be three modes for the powertrain – Range, Tour and Performance – that drivers can switch between using an eManettino panel on the steering wheel. These modes will alter how the power output and traction control are managed, as well as whether the car becomes rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive.
Why is the Ferrari Luce going to have shift paddles?
Certain brands such as Hyundai and Genesis have already explored the idea of a virtual gearbox in EVs, to deliver a more engaging driving experience. Ferrari has gone down a similar route with what it calls its ‘Torque Shift Engagement’ strategy for the Luce.
By pulling on the right-hand paddle on the steering wheel, the driver can activate five progressively higher levels of torque and power delivery to produce a similar sensation of acceleration to that in a petrol Ferrari. The left-hand paddle is used in a similar way to replicate the feel of engine braking when slowing down for corners.
What will the Ferrari Luce sound like?
When screaming V12 and howling V8 engines are a part of what makes the brand's cars so evocative, you might assume Ferrari would try to emulate their soul-stirring soundtracks in a naturally silent EV. A bit like the popping and crackling hot hatch exhaust noises you get in the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N.
But no. Ferrari instead wanted to give the electric motors a voice of their own, and harness some of the sound they emit by placing an accelerometer within the casing for the rear e-axle. This sensor detects the vibrations from the motors, which are then amplified and pumped into the cabin. Presumably through the car’s speakers.
The analogy Ferrari uses is that this sensor is like the pick-ups on an electric guitar, which turns what an artist is playing into the noise that we hear from an amplifier.
Ferrari was adamant when it began work on the Luce that it didn’t want to try and replicate the sound of its internal-combustion engines, nor did it want to create something entirely digital. Sadly, we’ve not had a chance to hear the Luce’s unique and slightly mysterious soundtrack for ourselves yet. Also, in normal driving conditions there won’t be any additional noise generated, to make the cabin more relaxing.
What do we know about the Ferrari Luce’s chassis?
The Luce’s chassis is made from recycled aluminium, which Ferrari says contributes to an overall saving of 6.7 tonnes of CO2 for every one built.
One advantage of EVs is a low centre of gravity, because the big, heavy battery is located underneath the floor. For the Luce, all the battery modules sit between the front and rear axles, and the majority are located as low as possible within the chassis, resulting in a centre of gravity 80mm lower compared to an equivalent petrol car.
Ferrari says this enabled the evolution of its active suspension system that was first used in the Purosagne SUV, and then by the F80 hypercar.
More specifically, Ferrari lengthened the pitch of the recirculating ball screw within the damper by 20 per cent, so it can better absorb the forces from impacts such as potholes. The screw is connected to a 48-volt electric motor, like in the F80, which generates torque to turn the screw for precise body control and handling.
At the rear, the Luce will feature Ferrari’s first separate subframe, designed to help reduce noise, vibration and harshness but without compromising driving dynamics or adding too much weight. The solution was a one-piece hollow casting made from recycled aluminium, connected to the chassis with ‘elastomeric’ bushing. The back wheels can also turn up to 2.15 degrees to offer greater stability or agility as required.
Even though the Luce’s regenerative braking system will produce up to 0.68G of stopping force (the Rimac Nevera’s can ‘only’ deliver 0.4G worth), Ferrari has still fitted a newly developed carbon-ceramic braking system from Brembo. It consists of enormous 390mm discs with six-piston calipers on the front axle, and 372mm discs and four-piston calipers on the rear.
Ferrari took inspiration from its mid-rear-engined 'berlinetta' sports cars for the Luce’s driving position. It will place the driver close to the front wheels to offer “the purest dynamic feedback”, but the engineers have also worked to maximise comfort and make the car easier to get into and out of, like the brand’s front-engined GT cars.
How much range will the Ferrari Luce have?
The Luce features a gigantic 122kWh battery that Ferrari claims is the most energy-dense unit ever used by an electric car, and running underneath the entire powerpack is a massive cooling plate.
The battery consists of 15 individual modules that the engineers have arranged to maximise the available space without having to lengthen the wheelbase. For instance, two modules have been stacked on top of others and positioned underneath the rear seats.
Inside each module are tall pouch battery cells, instead of the cylindrical cells like BMW now uses. These allowed Ferrari to achieve the unit's high energy density. Another advantage is that they are lighter, which was a key consideration for the brand when developing the Luce’s hardware.
Ferrari says the new EV will deliver more than 330 miles of range, which is probably the least impressive thing we’ve heard about this car. By comparison, the new BMW iX3 with a smaller 108.7kWh battery pack can cover up to 493 miles on a single charge.
The Luce features twice as many motors as the BMW, however, and is a far more performance-focused car so it will be driven in a very different way to most other EVs. Plus with a maximum charging speed of up to 350kW, we reckon drivers will be able to almost fully recharge the battery in half an hour or less.
Why is Ferrari launching its first EV now?
Ferrari is clear on this: it wasn’t going to launch its first electric car until the technology available could deliver the driving experience and performance that customers expect of any machine born in Maranello.
Although it still says something that rival Lamborghini has delayed the launch of its first EV until 2028, which will be five years after it previewed the car with the Lanzador concept. Similarly, Aston Martin has also pushed back the introduction of its first electric car, and now only says it will arrive before the end of decade.
When asked why this was the right time to launch the Luce, Vigna responded: “We want to show that we are able to harness any technology in a unique way, for the sake of driving thrills for our clients. And also we want to access another pool of clients that want and will buy a Ferrari, if and only if it’s electric.”
Did you know you can sell your car through Auto Express? We’ll help you get a great price and find a great deal on a new car, too.
