The Electric Ferrari Luce is here - and the internet isn’t impressed
Ferrari has finally revealed its first-ever electric car, and we've not seen such a polarising reaction to a new car since Jaguar revealed the Type-00 concept last year.
But this may just rival that. Yes, it is the reveal of the Ferrari Luce, the Italian brand’s first-ever electric car, and what is possibly the most anticipated EV of all time. More on the reaction later on, but for now, let’s look at the car itself.
£440k, 329 miles, 1036bhp for Maranello’s first pure EV
The Luce, a car that for years Ferrari denied would ever become a reality, is set to have the entire automotive world and beyond talking. Opinions are already split, and for many people, even the idea of an electric Ferrari is sacrilegious. But the Prancing Horse has seen the trends and regulations unfolding and reacted accordingly. It dipped its toe in the water with 15 miles of pure electric range in the SF90 Stradale and SF90 Spider, but this is a full plunge.
Ferrari’s F1 drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton pulled off the cover to reveal what will be Ferrari’s first five-seater car and second four-door car after the Purosangue.
That’s not to say it will be a steady presence on the road, with the Italian brand sharing information from its 499P World Endurance Championship challenger and new Hypersail project to give it 1036bhp, putting it just behind the V6-powered Ferrari F80.
Exterior Design
As with the interior, the exterior design of the Luce was led by design collective LoveFrom, made up of Sir Jony Ive and Marc Newson, whose previous projects include the iPhone. They were given creative freedom to create a new design language for Ferrari, which is clearly seen in the revealed car. The real head turner will be its blackout ‘glasshouse’ style bubble on the top, which is bookended by front and rear spoilers.
Aerodynamically, there are active cooling fins at the front to reduce drag, while windscreen wipers have been mounted vertically at the windscreen edges to help the Luce retain its smooth swooping silhouette.
At the rear, the use of halo tail lights is a nod to the 360 Modena and 458 Italia, while a custom wheel design also gives the Luce the largest wheel diameters on a series-production Ferrari road car, with 23-inch on the front and 24-inch at the rear.
The firsts don’t stop there as this is both Ferrari’s longest ever car at 5.026 metres — giving it 597 litres of cargo space — and heaviest at 2,260kg.
Powertrain
Of course, the Luce is all about what’s underneath the surface and four electric motors (one for each wheel) help it to produce 1036bhp, enabling a 0-62mph sprint in around 2.5 seconds and a 0-124mph sprint in 6.8 seconds.
And the biggest question of all? Range. The Luce has 329 miles of it, which just squeezes in the same leagues as Porsche’s electric efforts. This is thanks to its 630kg battery, which has been integrated into the Luce’s floorplan. Ferrari says it will recharge in 20 minutes using a fast-charging station capable of delivering up to 350 kW.
As for the famous Ferrari engine sounds that we’ve become accustomed to over the years, the Luce won’t quite offer that, obviously. However, in Performance mode, sounds will be taken directly from the motors and gearsets in action and amplified into the cabin. This may not be enough to please the purists, but Ferrari has tried to make an effort without the use of artificial noise and gear shifting - instead using the paddles to aid regenerative braking.
How much will it cost and when will it be delivered?
Prices for the Ferrari Luce begin at £440,000, with deliveries in the UK set to take place in spring 2027.
The internet reacts to the Ferrari Luce
With brands like Lamborghini and Porsche recently scaling back their EV plans in response to a lack of demand and competition from China, can Ferrari succeed with the Luce?
While there has been praise from some, reaction from others has been less favourable to say the least. Let’s take a look at some and please feel free to leave your own thoughts in the comments.
‘The Cybertruck looks good compared to this thing’
The comments section on Ferrari’s Instagram post for the Luce made for interesting reading, also.
kellermoore: ‘Congrats on making an iPhone 5C on wheels’
bradbuilds: ‘This is worse than the jaguar ev’
david.kushner: ‘guys…what are we doing’
racsmad: ‘Where’s the dislike button???’
brettandblue: ‘April 1st was a while go’
Ferrari’s stock price have also been affected
Let us know what you think!
words: Mike Booth
pictures: Ferrari North Europe