Ferrari and electric are two things that don’t necessarily go hand in hand. The Italian marque is renowned for its phenomenal engines after all. That said, the brand is aware of the times we’re living in and although they haven’t launched an all-electric car yet (they will be 2025) they have released a PHEV – the 1,000 bhp SF90 Stradale. Being a plug-in hybrid, the SF90 can rely solely on electric power – albeit for a limited period.
Popular YouTube channel DragTimes decided to find out what the SF90 was like to drive on a daily basis in EV mode, with the channel’s host and owner Brooks Weisblat using it for his daily runaround. Despite charging the SF90 all night, Brooks couldn’t get the car in all-electric mode at first. He had to turn on the engine to presumably “warm up the battery”. After around 5 minutes of waiting, he was able to get into electric mode.
He described the initial experience and noise as “eerie”. That said, he believed it drove great. In electric mode, the SF90 is front-wheel drive only (it’s the first ever front-wheel drive Ferrari, although it enters AWD guise when electric mode is off). Of it’s 1,000 bhp, only around 250 bhp is accessible in EV mode meanwhile top speed is about 80 mph.
Given this was a DragTimes video, of course the Ferrari’s 0-60 mph was going to be tested. In EV mode the SF90 managed 0-60 in 9.16 seconds – which is slower than a Volkswagen ID.4. That said, it’s important to remember Ferrari only expects EV mode to be used for subtly cruising around traffic and for general city driving. With its engine engaged, the SF90 can hit 0-60 mph in as quick as 2 seconds in the right conditions. Interestingly, Brooks noted the SF90 has eight forward gears, and no reverse gear. To go back, it uses the front motors and throws them in reverse. Why? To save weight of course – the battery adds a lot to the SF90’s curb weight and Ferrari needs to recoup that loss of lightness in as many ways as possible.
After going to the gym for an hour and a half, Brooks returned to discover the SF90 could now go straight into electric mode from the start. He then performed a regular 0-60 mph test with the V8 on, and managed a 2.4 second time. Then he tried hybrid mode, which constantly switches between gas and electric driving.
Brooks observed that he used up around half of his range on the way to the gym. However, he almost recharged his battery completely on the way back by doing 0-60 testing and thus making use of the Ferrari’s regenerative braking. He noted driving was a much faster way of powering the car up to its 15 mile electric range than home charging.
Brooks concluded that the SF90 drives great in both electric and hybrid mode. Surprisingly efficient (55 mpg is pretty crazy for a $500k+ supercar) the SF90 is undoubtedly an incredibly desirable vehicle. In an era where many cities (particularly in Europe) are beginning to ban high-emitting petrol and diesel cars from entering, plug-ins like the SF90 can keep supercars alive in populated places.
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Source: DragTimes
