Palermo says the sound can be reduced when cruising, then amplified during more dynamic driving. Allegedly, it’s even possible to sense when a rear wheel breaks traction, since the rise in revs of that motor would be detected by the accelerometer. He also says how latency—the time between a change in motor revs and the sound reaching the driver’s ear—is “below the threshold of human perception… instantaneous.”
The sound will also adjust depending on how the driver engages with the steering wheel paddles for regenerative braking and the Torque Shift Engagement system. But, for now, Ferrari refuses to comment on exactly how motor sound is broadcast in the cabin—be it through the car’s sound system, or some other means—and how external sound will be created. Underscoring Ferrari’s commitment to using an authentic drivetrain sound, Palermo adds: “It’s an instrument, not a ringtone.”
Individually Controlled Wheels
Remarkably, for a company whose cars are synonymous with theatrical histrionics, Ferrari says during normal driving “silence is preferred to maximize acoustic comfort.” To that end, it has worked hard to illuminate noise, vibration, and harshness (known in the industry as NVH), since there’s no longer a loud engine to drown it all out.
The Elettrica’s suspension is an evolution of the active system used by Ferrari’s Purosangue SUV and F80 hypercar, which employs 48-volt motors to apply torque to each shock absorber, actively working to eliminate pitch and roll.
As with other electric cars, a heavy battery pack in the floor helps to lower the center of gravity; in this case, by 80 mm compared to an equivalent non-EV. Although it can’t defy physics, Ferrari claims its suspension trickery and quad-motor setup makes the Elettrica handle as if it were almost 1,000 lbs lighter.
The result is a car where each wheel has its own individually controlled power, braking, suspension, and steering—with the rear wheels even able to be steered independently of each other, by up to 2.15 degrees in either direction. Each of the four motors can also operate their own regenerative braking, with up to 0.68G of deceleration possible with the most aggressive level of regen. That’s more than half the braking force experienced during an emergency stop in a regular car.
