Why Ferrari’s First EV Isn’t A Supercar

From InsideEVs.

Ferrari isn’t trying to imitate internal-combustion engine noises and shifts. But it’s trying to provide the same level of drama and connection.

Hyundai introduced the concept of simulated "shifting" in EVs. The riotous Ioniq 5 N simulates the soundtrack and shifting of the seven-speed, dual-clutch transmission version of the Elantra N. It sounds hare-brained, but it works. I love it.

Ferrari, though, can’t just copy Hyundai. With its first EV, the upcoming Elettrica, it’s gotta move the ball forward.

When I spoke to the company’s head of product development, he was clear about how the company was going to do that: With power levels, its own take on faux EV shifting. But it won’t be fake, and it won’t involve "gears."

"When we started to develop the car, when we approached a corner, we started to play with the paddles," Gianmaria Fulgenzi, Ferrari’s development boss, told me. Years of driving gas-powered cars has conditioned that behavior, but it’s not merely a relic. It adds something to the experience.

"You need something to touch when you want to engage the car," Fulgenzi said. It’s not important when you’re cruising on the highway—which is why the upcoming Ferrari Electtrica will be silent and automatic in those conditions. "But when you want to enjoy it a little bit, you need something to connect with the car, to communicate with the car, to be completely engaged with the car."

He’s absolutely right. I don’t usually directly chime in to support auto executives, but it’s the hardest thing to explain to people who have never driven a car fast—or hard. Shifting and sound are not mere relics of the internal-combustion era. They are, in their own way, tools.

Read more here:
Ferrari’s EV ‘Shifting’ Won’t Work Like Gears. They’re ‘Power Levels’ Instead
https://insideevs.com/news/775756/ferrari-fake-ev-shifting-explained/?adv=0

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