The Ferrari SF90 Stradale is Ferrari’s first production hybrid car, which it released last year, when it also said it would have more hybrids on the way and an all-electric Ferrari by 2030. But don’t fret, Ferrari said today it would never go all electric.
The quote, via Ferrari CEO Louis Camilleri, coming on the occasion of Ferrari’s third-quarter earnings release:
But there should be cost savings longer term as battery technologies improve as well. However, my own sense is that, you know, to sort of say 100 per cent electric, that’s pushing things.
I really don’t see Ferrari ever being at 100 per cent EV and certainly not in my lifetime will reach even 50 per cent.
Camilleri is 65 years old, and the life expectancy for men in the European Union is 78, so let’s say, for argument’s sake, Camilleri is saying Ferrari’s lineup will be mostly internal combustion engine based for at least the next 13 years. That is a very long time, especially when you imagine how odd it will be in 2033 when Ferrari announces its new $US400,000 ($558,720) grand tourer powered by its latest V12 and the rest of the world has just kind of … moved on, with EVs buzzing everywhere.
Or maybe you think that EV timeline is a bit too soon; one thing that does seem certain is that Ferrari and other supercar companies will likely be the last companies still working on advancements to the internal combustion engine. Well, probably Mazda, too, which will announce a Skyactiv engine that gets 483 km to the gallon at some point or another.
Still, for Ferrari, this all feels a little weird. Ferrari already is pretty invested in hybrid tech. Its F1 cars are hybrids, its top-tier hypercar, the LaFerrari, is a hybrid, and hybrids are running all through its regular lineup. I mean, why not make an electric supercar, or several of them? Tesla has proven that electric cars can be cool, and there’s nothing stopping Ferrari from doing it, too. Now, if I asked Ferrari this, Ferrari would presumably point to the waiting list it has to buy a new Ferrari, gas-powered and all. To which I say, come on man, I’m not an accountant, I’m doing brain genius work over here.
Anyway, Camilleri also said this:
A Ferrari V12 that runs 3000km/year probably has less total emissions than a small ICE car that runs every day. We have to take that into account. – CEO Camilleri $RACE
— John Rosevear ???????? (@john__rosevear) November 3, 2020
I will go out on a limb and say that “actually Ferraris are good for the environment because owners don’t drive them” is not Ferrari’s best argument going forward. A more honest argument would be: We had net profits of 171 million euros ($197 million) in the third-quarter, the status quo seems to be working just fine.