The Ferrari SF90 Stradale: Made for the Road
The Ferrari SF90 Stradale (model F173) is a mid-engine PHEV (plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) sports car manufactured by Ferrari. The car shares its name with the SF90 Formula 1 car, with SF90 standing for the 90th anniversary of the Scuderia Ferrari racing team and “Stradale” for “made for the road”.
BATTERY AND DRIVING MODES
The car has a 7.9 kWh lithium-ion battery for regenerative braking, which gives the car an electric range of 26 km (16 mi). The car has four driving modes depending on road conditions. The modes are changed using the eManettino rotary knob on the steering wheel.
In eDrive mode, the car drives using only the electric motors. In hybrid mode, both the internal combustion engine and the electric motors are used. This is the car’s default mode. In this mode, the vehicle’s on-board computer (called the control logic) also turns off the engine when conditions are ideal to save fuel and allow the driver to restart the engine.
Performance mode runs the engine to recharge the batteries and keeps the car responsive for optimum performance. Qualify mode uses the full potential of the drivetrain.
The control logic uses three main areas: the car’s high-voltage control (including the batteries), the RAC-e (Rotation Axis Control -electric) torque vectoring system, and the MGUK along with the engine and transmission.
POWERTRAIN
The SF90 Stradale is equipped with three electric motors that add a combined output of 220 PS (162 kW; 217 PS) to a twinturbocharged V8 engine producing 780 PS (574 kW; 769 PS) at 7,500 rpm. The car’s total output is 1,000 PS (735 kW; 986 hp) at 8,000 rpm and maximum torque of 800 N·m (590 lb·ft) at 6,000 rpm.
The engine is an evolution of the unit used in the 488 Pista and F8 Tributo models. The engine’s displacement is now 4.0 litres (3,990 cc) by increasing the bore of each cylinder to 88 mm.
The front wheels are driven by two electric motors (one for each wheel) that provide torque vectoring. They also act as reverse gears, as the main gearbox (eight-speed dual clutch) has no reverse gear.
TRANSMISSION
The SF90 Stradale’s engine is mated to a new eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. The new gearbox is 10 kg lighter and more compact than the existing 7-speed gearbox used on the manufacturer’s other offerings. This is partly due to the fact that there is no dedicated reverse gear, as reverse is handled by the electric motors mounted on the front axle. The new transmission also has a 30% faster shift time (200 milliseconds).
INTERIOR
A 16-inch curved display behind the steering wheel shows the driver various vital statistics of the car. The car also features a new head-up display that reconfigures itself depending on the driving mode selected. The steering wheel has been carried over from the 488, but now features multiple capacitive touch interfaces to control the car’s various functions.
Other conventional levers and buttons are retained. The interior will also relay the engine sound to the driver, according to the manufacturer.
OPERATION
The SF90 Stradale features eSSC (electric Side Slip Control), which controls torque distribution to all four wheels of the car. The eSSC is combined with eTC (electric Tractional Control), a new brake-by-wire system that combines the traditional hydraulic braking system and electric motors to provide optimal regenerative braking and torque vectoring.
BODY
The car’s all-new chassis combines aluminium and carbon fibre to improve structural rigidity and provide a suitable platform for the car’s hybrid system. The car has a dry weight of 3,461 lb (1,570 kg) when the electric system weight of 595 lb (270 kg) is added.
PERFORMANCE
Ferrari states that the SF90 Stradale is capable of accelerating from a standstill to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 2.5 seconds, 0to 200 km/h (124 mph) in 6.7 seconds, and a top speed of 340 km/h (340 mph). It is the fastest Ferrari road car on Fiorano Circuit as of 2020, seven-tenths of a second faster than the LaFerrari.
The manufacturer claims that the SF90 Stradale can generate 390 kg of downforce at 155 mph (250 km/h) thanks to new discoveries in aero and thermodynamics.
DESIGN
The main feature of the design is the twopiece rear wing, which is an application of the drag reduction system (DRS) used in Formula 1. One fixed element of the wing incorporates the tail light, while the moving parts of the wing (called “shut off Gurney” by the manufacturer) are integrated into the bodywork using electric actuators to maximise downforce. The SF90 Stradale uses an evolution of Ferrari’s vortex generators mounted on the front of the car.
The rear of the car adopts many iconic Ferrari Styling elements such as the flying buttresses. The engine cover has been kept as low as possible to maximise airflow. According to the car’s chief designer Flavio Manzoni, the design of the car is somewhere between that of a spaceship and a race car.
Pricing for the SF90 starts at $550,000.
For more information, visit www.ferrari.com/en- EN /auto/sf90-stradale