Ferrari foolishly resists EVs, calls ICE ‘an essential part of the company’s heritage’
Ferrari (RACE) will continue to develop and build internal combustion engines (ICE) well into the late 2030s despite calls from several of its key markets to adopt EVs. According to Ferrari’s CEO, the automaker will continue to build ICE vehicles as “an essential part of the company’s heritage.”
Ferrari still resists EVs and will continue to build ICE cars
Although Ferrari models are known for quick acceleration, the automaker is moving at a sluggish pace toward zero-emission electric vehicles.
Although most automakers are targeting at least 30% to 50% EV sales by 2025, Ferrari plans to release its first fully electric vehicle that year, making up just 5% of total sales by 2026.
For some time now, Ferrari has resisted pure EVs citing the technology as “not ready” for use in supercars. Despite this, electric technology offers more power and instant torque.
Several startups and automakers are advancing technology to prove it, such as the all-electric Lotus Evija, with over 2,000 hp (1,500 kW) and 1,256 lb-ft of torque (1,704 Nm) for an impressive 0 to 186 mph in just over nine seconds.
Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna recently told the BBC that the company would be “arrogant” to dictate what customers can buy despite calls for sustainable transportation. Vigna added that Ferrari would continue to resist EVs and instead build ICE cars, building on “an essential part of the company’s heritage.”
Despite several major auto markets banning the sale of new ICE vehicles, the EU recently agreed on a synthetic e-fuels provision, giving Ferrari the green light to continue building ICE vehicles.
Last year, Ferrari revealed it would strive to become carbon neutral across its value chain by 2030 through new renewable energy and materials, in addition to the automaker’s electrification journey.
Ferrari currently offers four hybrid models but still has no pure EV plans until 2025. The automaker expects fully electric vehicles to represent 40% of its fleet by the end of the decade.
Electrek’s Take
Ferrari is missing the idea here. As many automakers are using the electric era to redesign the brand, Ferrari is sticking to its “heritage.”
As the late Steve Jobs, one of the most influential disruptors of all time, once famously said:
Some people say give the customers what they want, but that’s not my approach. Our job is to figure out what they’re going to want before they do. I think Henry Ford once said, ‘If I’d ask customers what they wanted, they would’ve told me a faster horse.’ People don’t know what they want until you show it to them. That’s why I never rely on market research. Our task is to read things that are not yet on the page.
We are already seeing this happen in the auto industry, with the Tesla Model Y on track to become the best-selling passenger vehicle globally. In fact, both the Tesla Model Y and Model 3 cracked the top ten best-selling cars globally last year.
Although Ferrari has built a solid image over the years as one of the top sports car makers, buyers’ habits are changing. Consumers are becoming less concerned with brands and more with a vehicle’s performance and technology.
Ferrari waiting until 2025 to launch its first EV, delaying electrification further, could cost it in the long run. Buyers are converting to electric at a record pace, and the technology will only continue to advance from here, resulting in more power, less weight, and reduced costs.
If Ferrari doesn’t build an electric supercar, plenty of startups and other automakers are looking to take its place in the luxury sports car market.
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A former coal mine in western Maryland is now generating solar power – and it’s the largest solar farm in the state. Competitive Power Ventures (CPV) has brought Maryland’s largest solar project online in Garrett County, turning reclaimed coal mine land into a source of clean electricity.
CPV Renewable Power, an affiliate of CPV, and investment partner Harrison Street Asset Management have started commercial operations at CPV Backbone Solar, a 160-megawatt solar project in western Maryland. The site sits on a reclaimed, decommissioned coal mine, turning previously disturbed land into a new source of clean power.
Construction of the project was handled by Vanguard Energy Partners, a solar engineering, procurement, and construction firm.
The project comprises approximately 324,000 solar panels and is expected to generate enough electricity to power around 30,000 homes. For Maryland, it adds new in‑state generation while giving former fossil fuel land a second life.
CPV says that the project aims to demonstrate the role of brownfield redevelopment in the energy transition. The company’s CEO, Sherman Knight, said Backbone Solar shows “how brownfield redevelopment, innovative engineering, and strategic partnerships can meet complex project challenges and deliver new power generation in Maryland.”
Local officials have welcomed the project. Garrett County Board Chairman Paul Edwards said bringing the solar facility to the county helps protect the region’s natural landscape while also creating economic value for local residents.
CPV Backbone Solar also includes a community and environmental investment tied to the project. CPV has committed $100,000 over four years to the Deep Creek Watershed Foundation.
Backbone Solar becomes part of CPV’s growing renewable portfolio, which includes four operating wind and solar projects. The company also says it has a 4.8-gigawatt renewable development pipeline.
A second phase of the Backbone Solar project is already under construction. Once completed, it’s expected to increase the site’s total installed capacity from 160 MW to 175 MW.
Read more: Fast charge your EV while grabbing Royal Farms fried chicken
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Pennsylvania just opened its first federally funded EV charging station on the Pennsylvania Turnpike — a key step toward making long-distance EV travel easier across the state.
The new station just opened at the Blue Mountain Service Plaza at Exit 202 westbound. Another NEVI-funded site at the New Stanton Service Plaza (Exit 77 westbound) is expected to open next week, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT).
The chargers were built using funds from the federal National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program, which is designed to install fast, reliable charging stations where drivers already stop — especially along busy highway corridors.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike is one of the state’s most heavily traveled roads, particularly during holiday travel, making service plazas a natural location for en-route EV charging. This first Turnpike site marks the beginning of NEVI-funded charging directly on the state’s toll road.
The Blue Mountain and New Stanton locations are part of the Turnpike’s larger, systemwide EV charging rollout. Working with Applegreen Electric, the Turnpike plans to install 80 new universal EV charging stations across all 17 service plazas by the end of 2027.
In addition to the NEVI-funded sites, the Turnpike has already brought new chargers online at the North Somerset, South Somerset, and Hickory Run service plazas using funding from Pennsylvania’s Driving PA Forward program. Each location offers high-speed charging with four ports per site, and all chargers are designed to work with all EV models without the need for adapters.
The project was awarded under the first round of PennDOT’s NEVI Alternative Fuel Corridor program. The next phase of funding, known as Corridor Connections, is focused on filling in charging gaps along major roadways that fall outside previously designated alternative fuel corridors. The goal is to make longer EV trips across Pennsylvania easier and more predictable.
The announcement also comes as Pennsylvania continues to push back against federal attempts to block EV funding. The US Department of Transportation is currently withholding congressionally approved money that would have supported EV infrastructure projects and jobs in the state. Governor Josh Shapiro (D-PA) sued the Trump administration over the move and, alongside 15 other states, successfully challenged an earlier attempt to derail the NEVI program. That legal fight helped keep projects like these Turnpike charging stations moving forward across the Commonwealth.
Electrek’s Take
This is precisely what the Biden administration’s NEVI program was meant to do: put fast, reliable charging stations where drivers already stop. Service plazas on major turnpikes are prime real estate for EV charging, particularly during holiday and long-distance travel. Pennsylvania’s rollout is still early days, but once chargers are live at all 17 plazas – assuming the federal funding spigot stays open – one of the Northeast’s busiest corridors is going to be a great place to road-trip in an EV.
Read more: PA Turnpike to add 80 new Applegreen DC fast chargers by 2027
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