Ferrari unveils their most powerful road-going car yet — a 735kW hybrid
Just like a Ferrari SUV, quite a few people were adamant that we'd never see a Ferrari hybrid make it to production, but after the overwhelming success of the LaFerrari, it was a matter of time before another electrified Ferrari was produced.
It was amongst a flurry of leaks that the new SF90 Stradale was revealed, something that slightly marred the effectiveness of the official unveiling, but it's here, and it looks incredible.
Celebrating the link between Ferrari's track and road-going cars, the SF90 is a tribute to the 90th anniversary of Scuderia Ferrari.
While it's Ferrari's second time building a hybrid supercar, they certainly know what they're doing as they've achieved more power out of a smaller engine. A turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 which produces 574kW and 800Nm of torque is the main source of power, while the electric motors supply the rest.
There are three electric motors in total, with two sitting on the front axle, and one jammed between the engine and the eight-speed dual clutch transmission.
These motors are powered by a 7.9 kWh lithium-ion battery, and make a combined power output of 162kW. All up, the hybrid systems produces 735kW, which is sent to all four wheels through a new all-wheel drive system.
All this power means that the supercar can make the 0-100km/h sprint in just 2.5 seconds, and 0-200km/h in 6.7 seconds. If the car has to run on the electric motors alone, it is still able to drive 25 kilometres, driven exclusively by the front wheels.
With all this electrification, Ferrari engineers faced quite a challenge keeping the weight down. The SF90 Stradale ended up tipping the scales at 1,570kg, which gives it “record-breaking weight/power ratio”.
In total, the hybrid system added 270kg onto the total weight of the car, so engineers had to find other ways of displacing weight to keep it slim. Using a multi-material bodyshell and chassis, a combination of carbon fibre and aluminum kept weight down throughout the construction process. This combination not only saved weight, but also made for a stiffer chassis. The SF90 has a 20% higher bending stiffness and 40% higher torsional rigidity than previous vehicles.
Looking at the interior, it looks like the usual Ferrari cabin, except this one has been thrown into the future. Touchscreen accessory controls sit either side of the digital dash, and the steering wheel looks to have control panels of its own. The start/stop button is located at the bottom of the steering wheel, and the drive mode selector sits to the right of it.
The four drive modes utilise the SF90's hybrid system as it needs power. eDrive is the front-wheel drive exclusively electric mode, while Hybrid mode optimises fuel efficiency. As you can imagine performance mode means that the V8 is unleashed alongside the hybrid system so “power is instantly and fully available when required.” Finally, Qualify mode turns both systems up to eleven, and prioritises performance over battery charging, which allows the three motors to run at full power.
