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It’s finally here: meet the Ferrari Luce, Maranello’s first ever fully electric car

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It’s finally here: meet the Ferrari Luce, Maranello’s first ever fully electric car | Top Gear

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What were you expecting? Yeah, didn’t think so

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It’s finally here: meet the Ferrari Luce, Maranello’s first ever fully electric car

# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content
What were you expecting? Yeah, didn’t think so

# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content
It’s finally here: meet the Ferrari Luce, Maranello’s first ever fully electric car

# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content
What were you expecting? Yeah, didn’t think so

# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content
It’s finally here: meet the Ferrari Luce, Maranello’s first ever fully electric car

# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content
It’s finally here: meet the Ferrari Luce, Maranello’s first ever fully electric car

# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content
What were you expecting? Yeah, didn’t think so

# data.attributes.body.value
This a proper ‘wow’ moment, and we don’t get many of those nowadays. Welcome, then, to the Ferrari Luce, the company’s first all-electric car and a genuine game-changer. What you were expecting? Didn’t think so.

Previous supercar superstar EVs have stuck to the established mid-engined typology, but buyers didn’t bite. Ferrari was never going to go that way and the world’s most famous car company didn’t get where it is today by shirking risk. In a genius move, they hired design agency LoveFrom to handle the exterior and interior execution: that’s headed by former Apple chief design officer, Sir Jonathan Ive. Creative types like to call this ‘contamination’; Ferrari describes it as an “unconventional, multidisciplinary perspective”. No kidding.

To recap: we’re talking four electric motors, one on each wheel, a power output of 1,035bhp, 0-62mph in 2.5 seconds, a 192mph top speed, and a range of circa 330 miles fully charged. It uses a 122kWh battery pack, has an 800V architecture, and weighs 2,260kg; not bad for a five metre-long EV.

On top of that, the focus here is on versatility and useability. Forget the means of propulsion, the Luce has room on-board for five and a hatchback. That and the need for an aerodynamically efficient body explains the Luce’s spaceship shape and unusual surface language. Plus the unprecedented way in which it was designed and developed. Luce, by the way, means ‘light’, as in ‘lighting the way forward’ or ‘see the light’.

“We are convinced that a company demonstrates its leadership when it has the courage to dare and to take on the challenge of new technologies,” Ferrari CEO, Benedetto Vigna, states. “[The Luce] is the result of more than 60 of our new patents and lies at the heart of an ecosystem of collaborations with outstanding technology partners.”

Ferrari did explore an F80-style EV, but decided that it was a philosophical dead-end, as the head of vehicle engineering, Matteo Lanzavecchia, explains. “If you have a mid-engined car and you remove the engine and fuel tank and replace them with a battery pack and electric motor, you’re not gaining anything in terms of centre of gravity or the moment of inertia.

"But by doing something bigger, we were able to deliver space for five people. The c of g is lower [95mm lower than the Purosangue’s] and we’ve improved the torsional rigidity by integrating the battery pack into the body. We’ve re-thought everything. As a result, 95 per cent of the components are new.”

The Luce enjoys unprecedented control of each wheel in all three axis – lateral, longitudinal and vertical – with particular emphasis on the lateral body dynamic. A new ‘vehicle control unit’ (VCU) oversees everything, and updates targets 200 times per second. The front motors deliver 282bhp, the rears 831bhp, and there’s mammoth torque – 5,900lb ft at the rear wheels.

There’s more. Efficiency, energy density and thermal management were all prioritised. The front motors can spin at up to 30,000rpm, and can go from nothing to full tilt in less than a second. The chassis and body consists of 75 per cent recycled aluminium, which dramatically reduces CO2 emissions. The driver sits further forward and closer to the front axle than you might expect, so there’s a greater sense of command at the wheel despite the car’s dimensions.

There’s also a separate, elastically mounted subframe for the first time on a Ferrari, which reduces NVH. There is an authentic sound, a vital component on any Ferrari. “A precision accelerometer at the centre of the axle captures dynamic texture and vibration of the rotating components,” the company says, equalising and amplifying it in a manner similar to an electric guitar. It works when the Luce is in Performance mode.

A system called Torque Shift Engagement effectively delivers engine braking and increased driver interaction via progressive torque demand. So you approach a corner with the same sort of control as you do in a combustion car. An e-manettino joins the traditional chassis one, and oversees power, the torque curve, traction, and performance via ‘Range’, ‘Tour’ and ‘Performance’ settings.

There’s a virtual diff, torque vectoring on all four wheels, and active suspension. Ferrari’s incredible Side Slip Control system reaches v.10 here; in fact it’s just part of a much wider chassis control network of formidable firepower (and a welter of acronynms). Regen braking is a key part of this, but physical carbon ceramic friction brakes (390mm upfront, 372mm at the rear) are in place, and there’s an ingenious new wheel-hub bearing to reduce rolling resistance.

We’ll get into all this in way more detail when we drive it. For now, back to the way the Luce looks. Lean into it or loathe it: it’s your call. But know this: it’s a highly considered and meticulously executed machine in the flesh. It has rear-hinged doors, a distinctive cockpit complete with a ‘flying bridge’ C pillar, and a genuinely concept-y vibe. The rear wheels measure a whopping 24 inches in diameter, the fronts 23. It’s the work of some of the modern era’s sharpest minds, but if it’s a hypercar it’s unlike any we’ve ever seen before.

The Luce is one of the most fascinating cars in a long time

“We have to educate people,” Marc Newson, Jony Ive’s LoveFrom co-founder, once told me as part of a wider design debate. “If you ask consumers what they want, they’ll only be able to use their frame of reference. And all they can do is look into the past.” (Or maybe ask for a faster Prancing Horse…)

During his time at Apple, Ive and his team transformed the nature of our relationship with computers – and technology in general. Beige boxes were transformed first into playful objects, then sleekly minimalist portals to a new world. As for the iPod and especially the iPhone, well they changed everything. Fundamentally, Ive is a man who likes making things, knows how to do it, and has zero patience for sloppy design.

“We were excited about a five-seater car that was flexible, versatile and inherently luxurious,” he tells TopGear.com during an exclusive walk-round. “Of course, the price point means it’s exclusive but it’s more accessible and relevant. That’s a new paradigm, and also the biggest challenge.” He gestures to the roof-line. “Imagine how much easier our job would have been if we’d been able to pull this point down two inches.”

The Luce is functional, above all. It still sits lower than the Purosangue but is doing a different job using different methodologies. Others have tried to deliver the ‘monobox’ form, but it challenges the stance and proportion conventions that anchor car design. The Luce tries to circumvent this by having a passenger cell that’s cloaked in a form that encircles it. A car within a car, almost.  Ferrari won’t confirm the drag co-efficient but it’s the slipperiest car it’s ever made.

Be in no doubt, the Luce has the power to provoke and inspire in a way cars often don’t. That’s part of its job. The windscreen flows directly into the bonnet, which reaches an end point under a floating nose. Few cars have fewer shutlines than the Luce, and the one between the screen and bonnet is a breathtaking piece of design and manufacturing technique.

The lights are slender LEDs; there’s a vent beneath that feeds the HVAC. The gap between the front suspension uprights and the body is millimetrically precise. Note the positioning of the wipers, which park at either side of the screen rather than the usual place in the middle. Ive lets slip that they wanted the entire front section to be made of glass, but that’s still firmly in the realm of concept car.

We’re calling it: the Luce’s is the most satisfying car interior in the world

As is the ‘hydrophobic’ coating he’s been working on with his glass supplier. Sadly, they haven’t yet figured out how to repel moisture, so old-school wipers it is. “We hold great engineers in such high esteem and Ferrari knows we weren’t just throwing stuff over the wall,” Ive notes of LoveFrom’s processes. “It was certainly not a case of how hard can I stamp my foot in a petulant a***hole designer kind of way.”

Ive’s peerless track record during his time as Apple’s design boss is a hell of a USP. Ferrari reckons most of the Luce’s buyers will be new to the company, and its techy provenance is surely a draw. The interior doubles down on this idea. TG was in San Francisco in February for a preview, but the various elements were presented separately so it’s only now that we get to experience everything in context. Social media’s predilection for reasoned debate was in full effect back then, but we’re calling it: the Luce’s is the most satisfying car interior in the world (until we get to try the Bugatti Tourbillon, anyway).

One of Ive’s super-powers is being able to detect the level of care that has been taken over something. The quality is in the ether. That’s the case here, but the Luce is also highly tactile. Open all four doors and check out the fit and finish on the sills and pillar surround. Have a look at the hinges themselves, objects of sculptural beauty. Shut the doors and notice the double glazing.

Then you’ll take in the three-spoke wheel, a deliberate call-back to Ferraris past; it’s made of recycled aluminium and contains 19 separate CNCed parts. A substrate spans the length of the dashboard; it’s machined from a solid piece of aluminium rather than being pressed, so there’s no bend radius to it. You don’t even need to look at the central screen to find the climate controls; there’s physical switchgear with little protective bump bars to satisfy the regulators. The fan icon keeps spinning and speeds up as the motor behind it does. There’s a palm rest, so that operating the toggle switches is like tinkling a small piano.

The instruments ahead of the driver are uncommonly beautiful, with a physical needle in the speedo. The OLED dials’ colour changes depending on chassis mode, but it’s the way the hue gradually fades that’s the really cool bit. The launch control lever is in the panel above, inspired by the instruments you’d find in a helicopter. The button to release the rear hatch has a little luggage graphic on it.

The centre console is designed like a self-contained product, one that makes glass the hero feature. That’s been developed by long-term Apple supplier Corning, whose work on the iPhone’s ‘gorilla glass’ has enabled them to create something both visually and practically robust inside the Luce. The key lives in a special recess and uses ‘e ink’ so that the yellow in the Ferrari logo transfers to the drive selector when the key is docked. It’s another moment of theatre.

This is a Ferrari whose design is not compromised by the fitment of number plates

As is the clock/compass combo on the central screen, which has a similar level of complexity to a high-end mechanical wristwatch. Even the seat runners have been reimagined, and they normally don’t get much love. “They don’t get any love!” avers Newson. The same goes for the luggage compartment, which is as thoroughly designed as the rest of the car. There’s also a new audio system, with 21 speakers, 3,000-watt output, and processing done by proprietary Ferrari software.

LoveFrom has an in-house typeface expert called Antonio, who grew up close enough to Maranello to hear Ferraris being tested. The Luce has its own font, called ‘LF Maranello’. The Ferrari logo on the boot-lid can be laser etched, and you can dial its intensity up or down. This is also a Ferrari whose design is not compromised by the fitment of number plates.

“Collectively, I don’t think there’s anything we wish we could have done that we haven’t,” Newson concludes. “No one’s been rushing or pushing too much. It’s been really important to get it right. The whole point of the exercise was to be different. It’s a five-seater electric Ferrari. We started with an electric platform and what you see here could only have been done on an EV platform.”

Ferrari, of course, will still sell you cars fitted with six-, eight- or 12-cylinder engines. So this is not an end-game scenario. Instead, the Luce is one of the most fascinating cars in a long time, a machine that sees its maker really stretching out and going all out on the ambition. Ferrari has always liked a challenge. This is a biggie.

# data.attributes.body.processed
This a proper ‘wow’ moment, and we don’t get many of those nowadays. Welcome, then, to the Ferrari Luce, the company’s first all-electric car and a genuine game-changer. What you were expecting? Didn’t think so.

Previous supercar superstar EVs have stuck to the established mid-engined typology, but buyers didn’t bite. Ferrari was never going to go that way and the world’s most famous car company didn’t get where it is today by shirking risk. In a genius move, they hired design agency LoveFrom to handle the exterior and interior execution: that’s headed by former Apple chief design officer, Sir Jonathan Ive. Creative types like to call this ‘contamination’; Ferrari describes it as an “unconventional, multidisciplinary perspective”. No kidding.

To recap: we’re talking four electric motors, one on each wheel, a power output of 1,035bhp, 0-62mph in 2.5 seconds, a 192mph top speed, and a range of circa 330 miles fully charged. It uses a 122kWh battery pack, has an 800V architecture, and weighs 2,260kg; not bad for a five metre-long EV.

On top of that, the focus here is on versatility and useability. Forget the means of propulsion, the Luce has room on-board for five and a hatchback. That and the need for an aerodynamically efficient body explains the Luce’s spaceship shape and unusual surface language. Plus the unprecedented way in which it was designed and developed. Luce, by the way, means ‘light’, as in ‘lighting the way forward’ or ‘see the light’.

“We are convinced that a company demonstrates its leadership when it has the courage to dare and to take on the challenge of new technologies,” Ferrari CEO, Benedetto Vigna, states. “[The Luce] is the result of more than 60 of our new patents and lies at the heart of an ecosystem of collaborations with outstanding technology partners.”

Ferrari did explore an F80-style EV, but decided that it was a philosophical dead-end, as the head of vehicle engineering, Matteo Lanzavecchia, explains. “If you have a mid-engined car and you remove the engine and fuel tank and replace them with a battery pack and electric motor, you’re not gaining anything in terms of centre of gravity or the moment of inertia.

"But by doing something bigger, we were able to deliver space for five people. The c of g is lower [95mm lower than the Purosangue’s] and we’ve improved the torsional rigidity by integrating the battery pack into the body. We’ve re-thought everything. As a result, 95 per cent of the components are new.”

The Luce enjoys unprecedented control of each wheel in all three axis – lateral, longitudinal and vertical – with particular emphasis on the lateral body dynamic. A new ‘vehicle control unit’ (VCU) oversees everything, and updates targets 200 times per second. The front motors deliver 282bhp, the rears 831bhp, and there’s mammoth torque – 5,900lb ft at the rear wheels.

There’s more. Efficiency, energy density and thermal management were all prioritised. The front motors can spin at up to 30,000rpm, and can go from nothing to full tilt in less than a second. The chassis and body consists of 75 per cent recycled aluminium, which dramatically reduces CO2 emissions. The driver sits further forward and closer to the front axle than you might expect, so there’s a greater sense of command at the wheel despite the car’s dimensions.

There’s also a separate, elastically mounted subframe for the first time on a Ferrari, which reduces NVH. There is an authentic sound, a vital component on any Ferrari. “A precision accelerometer at the centre of the axle captures dynamic texture and vibration of the rotating components,” the company says, equalising and amplifying it in a manner similar to an electric guitar. It works when the Luce is in Performance mode.

A system called Torque Shift Engagement effectively delivers engine braking and increased driver interaction via progressive torque demand. So you approach a corner with the same sort of control as you do in a combustion car. An e-manettino joins the traditional chassis one, and oversees power, the torque curve, traction, and performance via ‘Range’, ‘Tour’ and ‘Performance’ settings.

There’s a virtual diff, torque vectoring on all four wheels, and active suspension. Ferrari’s incredible Side Slip Control system reaches v.10 here; in fact it’s just part of a much wider chassis control network of formidable firepower (and a welter of acronynms). Regen braking is a key part of this, but physical carbon ceramic friction brakes (390mm upfront, 372mm at the rear) are in place, and there’s an ingenious new wheel-hub bearing to reduce rolling resistance.

We’ll get into all this in way more detail when we drive it. For now, back to the way the Luce looks. Lean into it or loathe it: it’s your call. But know this: it’s a highly considered and meticulously executed machine in the flesh. It has rear-hinged doors, a distinctive cockpit complete with a ‘flying bridge’ C pillar, and a genuinely concept-y vibe. The rear wheels measure a whopping 24 inches in diameter, the fronts 23. It’s the work of some of the modern era’s sharpest minds, but if it’s a hypercar it’s unlike any we’ve ever seen before.

The Luce is one of the most fascinating cars in a long time

“We have to educate people,” Marc Newson, Jony Ive’s LoveFrom co-founder, once told me as part of a wider design debate. “If you ask consumers what they want, they’ll only be able to use their frame of reference. And all they can do is look into the past.” (Or maybe ask for a faster Prancing Horse…)

During his time at Apple, Ive and his team transformed the nature of our relationship with computers – and technology in general. Beige boxes were transformed first into playful objects, then sleekly minimalist portals to a new world. As for the iPod and especially the iPhone, well they changed everything. Fundamentally, Ive is a man who likes making things, knows how to do it, and has zero patience for sloppy design.

“We were excited about a five-seater car that was flexible, versatile and inherently luxurious,” he tells TopGear.com during an exclusive walk-round. “Of course, the price point means it’s exclusive but it’s more accessible and relevant. That’s a new paradigm, and also the biggest challenge.” He gestures to the roof-line. “Imagine how much easier our job would have been if we’d been able to pull this point down two inches.”

The Luce is functional, above all. It still sits lower than the Purosangue but is doing a different job using different methodologies. Others have tried to deliver the ‘monobox’ form, but it challenges the stance and proportion conventions that anchor car design. The Luce tries to circumvent this by having a passenger cell that’s cloaked in a form that encircles it. A car within a car, almost.  Ferrari won’t confirm the drag co-efficient but it’s the slipperiest car it’s ever made.

Be in no doubt, the Luce has the power to provoke and inspire in a way cars often don’t. That’s part of its job. The windscreen flows directly into the bonnet, which reaches an end point under a floating nose. Few cars have fewer shutlines than the Luce, and the one between the screen and bonnet is a breathtaking piece of design and manufacturing technique.

The lights are slender LEDs; there’s a vent beneath that feeds the HVAC. The gap between the front suspension uprights and the body is millimetrically precise. Note the positioning of the wipers, which park at either side of the screen rather than the usual place in the middle. Ive lets slip that they wanted the entire front section to be made of glass, but that’s still firmly in the realm of concept car.

We’re calling it: the Luce’s is the most satisfying car interior in the world

As is the ‘hydrophobic’ coating he’s been working on with his glass supplier. Sadly, they haven’t yet figured out how to repel moisture, so old-school wipers it is. “We hold great engineers in such high esteem and Ferrari knows we weren’t just throwing stuff over the wall,” Ive notes of LoveFrom’s processes. “It was certainly not a case of how hard can I stamp my foot in a petulant a***hole designer kind of way.”

Ive’s peerless track record during his time as Apple’s design boss is a hell of a USP. Ferrari reckons most of the Luce’s buyers will be new to the company, and its techy provenance is surely a draw. The interior doubles down on this idea. TG was in San Francisco in February for a preview, but the various elements were presented separately so it’s only now that we get to experience everything in context. Social media’s predilection for reasoned debate was in full effect back then, but we’re calling it: the Luce’s is the most satisfying car interior in the world (until we get to try the Bugatti Tourbillon, anyway).

One of Ive’s super-powers is being able to detect the level of care that has been taken over something. The quality is in the ether. That’s the case here, but the Luce is also highly tactile. Open all four doors and check out the fit and finish on the sills and pillar surround. Have a look at the hinges themselves, objects of sculptural beauty. Shut the doors and notice the double glazing.

Then you’ll take in the three-spoke wheel, a deliberate call-back to Ferraris past; it’s made of recycled aluminium and contains 19 separate CNCed parts. A substrate spans the length of the dashboard; it’s machined from a solid piece of aluminium rather than being pressed, so there’s no bend radius to it. You don’t even need to look at the central screen to find the climate controls; there’s physical switchgear with little protective bump bars to satisfy the regulators. The fan icon keeps spinning and speeds up as the motor behind it does. There’s a palm rest, so that operating the toggle switches is like tinkling a small piano.

The instruments ahead of the driver are uncommonly beautiful, with a physical needle in the speedo. The OLED dials’ colour changes depending on chassis mode, but it’s the way the hue gradually fades that’s the really cool bit. The launch control lever is in the panel above, inspired by the instruments you’d find in a helicopter. The button to release the rear hatch has a little luggage graphic on it.

The centre console is designed like a self-contained product, one that makes glass the hero feature. That’s been developed by long-term Apple supplier Corning, whose work on the iPhone’s ‘gorilla glass’ has enabled them to create something both visually and practically robust inside the Luce. The key lives in a special recess and uses ‘e ink’ so that the yellow in the Ferrari logo transfers to the drive selector when the key is docked. It’s another moment of theatre.

This is a Ferrari whose design is not compromised by the fitment of number plates

As is the clock/compass combo on the central screen, which has a similar level of complexity to a high-end mechanical wristwatch. Even the seat runners have been reimagined, and they normally don’t get much love. “They don’t get any love!” avers Newson. The same goes for the luggage compartment, which is as thoroughly designed as the rest of the car. There’s also a new audio system, with 21 speakers, 3,000-watt output, and processing done by proprietary Ferrari software.

LoveFrom has an in-house typeface expert called Antonio, who grew up close enough to Maranello to hear Ferraris being tested. The Luce has its own font, called ‘LF Maranello’. The Ferrari logo on the boot-lid can be laser etched, and you can dial its intensity up or down. This is also a Ferrari whose design is not compromised by the fitment of number plates.

“Collectively, I don’t think there’s anything we wish we could have done that we haven’t,” Newson concludes. “No one’s been rushing or pushing too much. It’s been really important to get it right. The whole point of the exercise was to be different. It’s a five-seater electric Ferrari. We started with an electric platform and what you see here could only have been done on an EV platform.”

Ferrari, of course, will still sell you cars fitted with six-, eight- or 12-cylinder engines. So this is not an end-game scenario. Instead, the Luce is one of the most fascinating cars in a long time, a machine that sees its maker really stretching out and going all out on the ambition. Ferrari has always liked a challenge. This is a biggie.

# data.attributes.field_standfirst
What were you expecting? Yeah, didn’t think so