How Jeff Bezos helped think of the first electric Ferrari

O Ferrari Luce, presented last may, is the first 100 percent electric model of Maranello manufacturer. And it divided opinions, mainly due to its polarizing design (and also unheard of in the history of the builder, by being a four-door and five-seater berlin).

But the idea of making an electric Ferrari is not recent. In fact, it began to appear a decade ago, in a conversation Amazon’s executive director, Jeff Bezos, had with Ferrari’s president, John Elkann.

That’s what the Italian leader quoted by ANSA said: “Bezos, talking about innovation and how it was changing the world, said to me at some point: “I don’t know anything about cars, but I know a lot about innovation, and i think you should seriously consider producing an electric Ferrari“. That was the first moment, in july 2016, where it occurred to me that we needed to start thinking seriously about what that would mean“.

But only years later did the idea begin to become a project, something that happened after Jony Ive left Apple in the post-pandemic. It was John Elkann who sought out the designer, asking him for advice “about how we should think about Ferrari”. From these conversations came the “natural” step of starting the project that culminated with the launch of Ferrari Luce.

From hybrids to electrics in 13 years

At a time when the energy transition in mobility is on the agenda, Ferrari – known to be at the forefront of high-performance sports cars – did not want to get away.

Luce is the first 100 percent electric car out of Maranello, but it's not the first electrified. Electrification in serial production models began in 2013 with the LaFerrari mild-hybrid, while in 2019 released the SF90 Stradale which was its first plug-in hybrid.

For now, Ferrari Luce is the only electric model in the range. The second was scheduled for 2026 but was postponed and will not arrive before 2028, second reported Reuters in the middle of last year citing two sources within the subject. A postponement that is due to the low demand for electric sportsmen and will give time to develop technology.

More than 1,000 hp power and exorbitant price

Remembering that the car, which can cost more than half a million euros, had the participation of Jony Ive's LoveForm in design. It has four electric motors (one for each wheel) capable of debiting 1,049 hp power, being based on an 800 volt electrical system. The 122 kWh battery allows you to travel 530 km (WLTP) with a single charge.

Luce is able to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.5 seconds and reaches 310 km/h, having a sound resulting from the capture of the actual noise of electric motors (and amplified, as with an electric guitar).

The four doors open in opposite directions, the rims are the largest ever of a Ferrari (23 inches ahead, 24 inches behind), there is a suspended front wing and active radiator grids, as well as an active suspension system and total vectorization of binary on both axes.

On the inside, bet on a three-ray steering wheel, back of the steering wheel to control the torque delivery and a multilayer instrument panel that mixes digital and mechanical instrumentation. There are three different retro-style dials for the different parameters and an independent and articulated touch screen that can be tilted more towards the driver or the passenger.