MILAN: Ferrari is relying on a technique normally used for tests of electronic devices to accelerate the development of its first fully electric car, which is expected in late 2025, chief executive Benedetto Vigna said on Thursday.
Vigna, a former executive at chipmaker STMicroelectronics told journalists that Ferrari is using a "Hardware in the Loop" (HIP) testing technique, which simulates behaviours of products under development under different conditions, and is normally applied to smartphones or computers.
"Some have started to use it for cars, and we have too," he said. "This allows you to accelerate the debugging phase of the electronic system," Vigna added in a post-earnings roundtable.
"It took us some time to get prepared, but (thanks to this technique) we have already solved a few problems that in our hybrid models normally came up at a later stage of development," he said.
The Ferrari EV is currently in the prototype phase.
Vigna said Ferrari was on schedule with plans for its full electric cars, both in terms of the development of the vehicle and on the infrastructure, with its new assembly facility, its so called "e-building", in its Maranello hometown due to be completed in June next year.
On a macro level, it said its order books are bulging all the way into 2025.
Core profit in the third quarter beat estimates, driven by pricing power and the continuing appeal of personalised additions to its cars.
"The order book remains at highest levels reflecting strong demand across all geographies, covering the entire 2025," Vigna said.
He told analysts all Ferrari models bar one were effectively sold out for the coming months.
Deliveries in the quarter were driven by the 296 and the SF90 families, while the 812 Competizione A and the Purosangue four-seater were in ramp-up phase. The F8 Spider was approaching the end of its lifecycle.
The product portfolio in the quarter included nine internal combustion engine models and four hybrid engine models. Hybrid deliveries reached 51.0% of total shipments in the quarter.
