Ferrari boss Benedetto Vigna believes that environmentally friendly e-fuels and hydrogen powertrains could have a future in its models – and he wants to use motorsport to develop both technologies.
Vigna believes carbon-neutral fuel will “become more and more a reality”. He said: “We are working with partners for 2026 for carbon-neutral fuel in Formula 1 [as part of new technical rules] and usually technologies start out on the track and migrate to the road.
"We believe there is still a valid way forward for ICE cars and this is going to be supported by the development of carbon-neutral fuel.”
Vigna was speaking as Ferrari prepares to unwrap a long-awaited successor to the LaFerrari hypercar, which is tipped to use a similar hybrid drivetrain to the 296 and SF90 supercars, but with power ramped up to unprecedented levels.
It’s not yet known what type of engine the car uses – V6, V8 or V12 – but Vigna’s comments suggest it could have been engineered to run on e-fuels.
Codenamed F250, it is undergoing advanced on-road testing and is expected to be launched next year.
Asked about Ferrari’s interest in hydrogen technology, Vigna said the firm is researching the fuel type: “We do not see it before 2030. I believe as well as that, the racing space can always be the first place for adapting technologies.” But he added that “hydrogen could be a good option for the future”.
Vigna has previously suggested that Ferrari could use sustainable fuels as a means of keeping combustion-engined cars on sale past 2035, with the European Commission having proposed to allow ICE engines to remain on sale, so long as they can only run on e-fuel.
“ICE still has a lot to do”, he said last year, explaining that development and adoption of e-fuels was occurring quicker than anticipated, and they could serve as a “reinforcement” of the brand’s carbon-cutting strategy.
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Porsche dealerships will be outfitted to provide e-fuel to Porsche customers once the EU ratifies its use. I guess Ferrari will do likewise at their dealerships. The EU will sanction the sale of ICE cars past 2035 that run solely on e-fuels, the only question is when, but the CEO's of the major players will be involved in that decision anyway. USA does not have an ICE ban on the calendar, as don't most of the major markets for the likes of Porsche, Ferrari etc, so continuing to develop ICE supercars makes business sense.
Biofuels were supposed to be the thing for the last 20 years. See how that turned out, 'eh'? And now Ferrari want us to believe e-fuels will proliferate for their global customers??? I see it in racing but for road use? Eh Meh.
Talk is cheap, bit like this article really.