Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna is hopeful that e-fuels can extend the life of ICE-powered Ferraris.
Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna has said that combustion-powered Ferraris could live beyond 2035 thanks to the advent of synthetic fuels, reports Autocar.
Vigna shared some thoughts on e-fuels at the Financial Times Future of the Car Conference and noted that he believes synthetic fuels, also known as e-fuels, will open up entirely new possibilities for the Maranello-based brand. “The discussion that was happening a few weeks ago about the adoption of e-fuel – I thought that this would happen in 2025 or 2026. Now it has happened two years before,” he said.
Ferrari is preparing to launch its first fully-electric car by 2025 and hopes to become carbon neutral by 2030. In the meantime, the supercar marque has introduced several electrified models, such as the SF90 Stradale and 296 GTB. Still, news that pure ICE-powered vehicles may live on is exciting news.
Certain hypercar brands, such as Bugatti, are exempt from the EU's 2035 CO2 ban as they build fewer than 1,000 vehicles each year. This means these automakers will be allowed to build combustion-engined vehicles beyond 2035, which will come as a relief for high-end collectors.
Ferrari is also a low-volume manufacturer, but it produces far more vehicles than the aforementioned marques. In the first quarter of 2023, the Prancing Horse delivered nearly 4,000 supercars. However, a concession in the EU's legislation stipulates that ICE vehicles can continue to be sold and produced, provided they run on carbon-neutral fuels.
“This is very good for us because you can run a thermal [combustion-engined] car with fuel that is neutral because you take the CO2 from the atmosphere and you merge it with other things. So I think that the two are very much compatible, and this is a reinforcement of our strategy if you want,” added Vigna.
Vigna remained tight-lipped on Ferrari developments and shared no details about the possibility of new engines that could come in the future. As a reminder, the Maranello-based brand produces several engines, including a 3.9-liter V8 (found in the Roma), a hybridized 3.0-liter V6 (used in the 296 GTB), and the 6.5-liter V12 (employed by the Purosangue).
If Ferrari does embrace e-fuels, the company will have to at least rework its existing engine lineup. The EU legislation states that any combustion-powered vehicle sold after 2035 cannot run on anything but e-fuel. We're guessing Ferrari will introduce a new generation of powerplants, though.
“This approval of the European Union was very, very good for us – for us and for the world, I believe – because it gives life to a technology that still has a long way to go. There are many things that can be done in terms of efficiency [and] emissions,” concluded Vigna.
Keyword: Ferrari V12 Handed New Lease On Life Thanks To Synthetic Fuels