The Prancing Horse of Maranello plans to launch a battery subscription for its hybrid models and upcoming EVs. First reported by the folks at Bloomberg, the extended warranty service is said to cost around €7,000 per annum.
That’s close to $7,500 every single year at current exchange rates, which is a helluva lot of money. What does the battery subscription actually do for that kind of moolah? This rather pricey service will entitle owners to a guaranteed battery replacement after eight years or earlier if they encounter a defect that necessitates a swap. Of course, related issues are covered as well.
The problem is that 60,000 freedom eagles for a high-voltage battery is kind of ludicrous, especially when you glance over the specifications of the 296 and SF90. Even the high-voltage battery of the brand's first all-electric vehicle isn't likely to cost that much. For reference, Merc's EQE 350+ Sedan packs 90.6 kilowatt hours and starts at $74,900 sans destination charge and options.
The plug-in hybrid 296 and similarly plug-in hybrid SF90? They're quite a bit more, yet their high-voltage batteries don't exceed 8.0 kilowatt hours. If you're curious why Ferrari is much obliged to replace said batteries after eight years and not five or ten, remember that federal law in the US mandates at least eight years or 100,000 miles or 160,000 kilometers of coverage.
What about prospective customers who don’t intend to keep their Fezzas that long? In this case, Ferrari's standard five-year battery warranty should be more than enough. Looking at the bigger picture, a battery subscription is dearly needed because Ferrari's 2023 sales comprised 44% hybrids and 56% pure ICE vehicles.
Photo: Ferrari
It's easy to imagine how that mix will look in a few short years, especially due to emission and fuel economy regulations. Be that as it may, Ferrari intends to keep its free-breathing V12 alive for as long as technically possible, even if they're required to use synthetic fuel instead of good ol' dinosaur juice with additives. And no, turbocharging said V12 isn't on the menu.
The automaker's current electrified models include the 296 GTB, 296 GTS, SF90 Stradale, SF90 Spider, SF90 XX Stradale, and SF90 XX Spider. As far as combustion-only models are concerned, the list kicks off with the Roma and continues with the Roma Spider, 12Cilindri, 12Cilindri Spider, and the Purosangue SUV.
A twin-turbocharged V8 powers the Roma series, while V12s are reserved for the 12Cilindri and Purosangue. A six-cylinder unit with a couple of snails serves as the beathing heart of the 296 series, which puts out 819 horsepower in combination with a YASA axial flux motor.
In other words, a 3.0-liter sixer and an electric drive unit match the maximum output of the 12Cilindri's gigantic V12. The SF90 XX, meanwhile, takes it up a notch with eight cylinders and three electric motors for a grand total of 1,016 horsepower. Although Ferrari's first electric vehicle isn't due this year, the LaFerrari-replacing F250 will premiere soon enough with a twin-turbo V6 and some level of electrification.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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