Ferrari has announced its first plug-in hybrid car, the SF90 Stradale. Alongside its V8 turbo engine, which the company claims has the highest output of any 8-cylinder in its history, the car has a total of three electric motors (two on its front axes and one on its rear). Combined, the combustion engine and motors produce 985 horsepower, allowing the car to accelerate from 0–62 mph in just 2.5 seconds and reach a maximum speed of 211 mph.
If you’re looking to run the car in its all-electric eDrive mode, then you might be a little disappointed in its maximum of 15 miles of range. That might be enough for a quick trip to the store or a short commute, but these are hardly the trips you buy a Ferrari to make. At least those 15 miles will pass quickly: Ferrari advertises that the SF90 Stradale can hit a maximum of around 84 mph without its combustion engine. This engine will also automatically turn off entirely when you reverse the car, meaning the car’s gearbox doesn’t need to include a reverse gear.
Internally, the car has a 16-inch curved HD screen behind the steering wheel, which can be controlled entirely using the touchpad and haptic buttons on the steering wheel. You’ll be able to use these controls to switch through the car’s four different engine modes — the all-electric eDrive, Hybrid, Performance, and Qualify — which offer a different balance of speed, battery, and fuel consumption.
Ferrari has yet to announce pricing or availability for the SF90 Stradale, but its announcement was somewhat inevitable given the worldwide move toward phasing out combustion engine cars. Multiple countries, including the UK and China, have announced plans to ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars in the coming decades. But with some of these bans making exceptions for hybrids, cars like the SF90 Stradale might offer a workaround if you want to buy a traditional Ferrari engine.
This article is from The Verge
