EV sportcars/supercars from brands which became icoinc with ICE

[Theo]

Quite a revolution!
I am no one and my opnion surely matters way less than Ferrari's one, but I am not convinced by their idea of just letting people choose their type of powertrain.
Honestly I believe that very few things last forever: enjoying a sunset is something that people could do both 1,000 years ago and hopefully people will do 1,000 years from now. Feeling something unique while using a Ferrari, or while seeing a Ferrari passing by, which is the typical interaction with Ferraris for most of the people, not so much IMHO. I really love those 80s/90s/early 2000s Ferraris with two pairs of round tail lights, producing amazing sounds. Back then when Schumacher won the F1 championship for consequent years and it just felt like it was the best brand of cars.
Then things started to change, apparently they had to change the design but I think they lost the family feeling and they had to start using electric motors, too, because how could they not. Now I won't question that modern Ferraris are great cars, but at least in my super humble opinion, they don't have that X factor anymore and electric ones will have it even less.
IMHO the engine sound is too strongly associated with a Ferrari not to feel that something is amiss with an electric one.
This affects other manufacturers, too, because apparently we won't have ICEs forever, but since apparently Ferraris are still mentioned as cars par excellence, like when people say that the Varg is the Ferrari of electric dirtbikes, I think that they are affected more than other brands.

What seems more sensible to me is that at some point, when there will be only EVs, those companies will just change their names and logos, maybe merge with other companies having more expertise in electricity and painfully accept that it has been great until it lasted.

 

[Philip]

Ferrari's future is tightly tied to Formula 1's future. They will either both success in switching to electric/alternative, or they will both fail. They will either continue providing us with excitement and unique emotions or they won't.

I think, most likely, things will continue evolving organically with F1 and supercar manufacturers making incremental changes and adopting cool new technologies that people want to buy, just like Ferrari is doing with this e-factory or e-building.

I have a question though... Can the Italian/German/Euro governments really get away with banning ICE engines in Formula 1 or in low-volume supercars? Have they attempted this in their ~2035 ICE sales laws?

 

[Theo]

Ferrari's future is tightly tied to Formula 1's future. They will either both success in switching to electric/alternative, or they will both fail. They will either continue providing us with excitement and unique emotions or they won't.

... and I think that F1 shares a similar problem: just like Ryan Hughes said recently in a video, when an F1 car passes by it impresses people with that sound which I find so wild but so artificial at the same time; I have never heard a Formula E passing by but from some videos I've watched I guess they are not really cool; maybe at higher speeds it seems like the wings make some cooler sounds. From TV they honestly sound emotionless.
Besides, Formula E cars couldn't compete against F1 now because they can't race with that power to weight ratio for 1h30 minutes. The powertrain can probably be lighter, like the power unit of the Varg is lighter than a 450 engine, but the much higher energy density of gasoline means that a fuel tank is so much lighter, so an electric car with the same power would be so much heavier and therefore with the same downforce it would be so much slower in corners.
Formula racing must be very hard for EVs because you need a lot of energy for high drag from wings and because of high speeds.
The best drivers want to race in F1 and therefore Formula E currently is for less successfull drivers or former F1 drivers.
Maybe years from now, I'd say decades from now Formula Es will become competitive or even faster and the best will want to move there. Then, driven by the best in the World, we'll see what kind of emotions they can give to the spectators.

 

[B. FRANK]

I hear people say that the sound of an ice engine is irreplaceable and that electrics make no sound( I'm talking motorcycles here), but my Altas sound is exciting to me, especially in the dirt, and the zero I can hear when accelerating out of a corner or off the line. people are crazy, electrics sound cool.

 

[rayivers]

+1 ! When I first heard it in videos I thought "omg, no way!", but after experiencing it in person I'm hooked. It's like riding a frantic cartoon robot.

 

[Philip]

I hear people say that the sound of an ice engine is irreplaceable and that electrics make no sound( I'm talking motorcycles here), but my Altas sound is exciting to me, especially in the dirt, and the zero I can hear when accelerating out of a corner or off the line. people are crazy, electrics sound cool.

I hear you. I do not think the sound of an ICE engine is irreplaceable, there are many other exciting sounds out there. But do you think the sound of Tomac/Deegan/Webb riding an electric dirt bike would be noticeably different from that of Roxzen/Lawrence/Savatgy riding an electric dirt bike?

 

[B. FRANK]

this is bringing back memories of slot car racing when I was a kid. I remember hearing the roar of tiny electric motors and getting butterflies with the anticipation of racing. I also remember the higher notes of the faster cars and really being drawn to them. sure racing will be quieter but no less exciting. imagine hearing the "oomph" when a rider cases it, or "f$#@" when they get passed or mess-up. whole new game and I am excited to see it come. and I am an old dog, so see we can learn new tricks!

 

[Philip]

LOL! Perhaps, riders will start screaming and legibly swearing at one another when trying to pass. Right now, nobody can hear them. But wait for when things become quiet!

 

[C5tor]

It is difficult to hear the electric bikes coming from behind. Sometimes when I’m coming up on someone on the track or on the trail on my Alta, I will yell out something useful like “On your left!”

But, because my brain can only do a few coherent things at a time, my mouth usually spits out the word “HEY!” in a very loud and shrill manner. The word “hey” isn’t particularly effective, but it is omnidirectional, and it is the best thing my aging think-goo can come up with on limited notice.

And then when I pass the unsuspecting dude in a cloud of electronically induced dust, what I usually hear from his totally surprised lizard brain is also “Hey!” This is usually followed by a few more surprised “heys” as he starts getting pummeled by a continuous stream of chunky Alta roost propelled at his face and other vulnerable regions at near escape velocity.

So, what I picture at a crowded race of electric bikes is just a bunch of whirring bikes, spinning wheels battling for traction, and a bunch of dudes yelling back and forth at each other shouting “Hey Hey HEY!” at the top of their lungs like a flock of excited groundhogs chirping at each other. It would be hilarious!

 

[Theo]

IMO an insanely cool sounding EV, at least from videos. is the McMurtry car: the motor sounds pretty cool and the aerodynamics even better.
Some weekends ago unfortunately somebody got hurt seriously at the MX track and so they called a helicopter to bring him/her to the hospital: no two stroke or four stroke produced a sound as cool as that and as far as I know that cool sound is generated mainly by the rotors. Same thing or even more exciting when some fighterjet flies by fast: I doubt that you hear much from the engines, you mostly hear the wings.
So yes, if the motor itself is quiet, there are other possible sources of cool sound which can the transmission or the aerodynamic drag or maybe the dirt bit by the knobs in a MX track.
Still, I don't like much electric Ferraris or Harley Davidsons because something feesl very wrong. I'm not saying that they should stop producing cars or motorcycles, but I would change the name and the logo and make it clear that the manufacturer is still the same reputable one.

I'd like to watch a MX race with only EVs ridden by fast riders to find out how it looks like.

 

[B. FRANK]

my hovercrafts propeller pretty much drowns out the engine sound, but dirt bikes with propellers sounds dangerous. imagine running into someones blades out on the track. I can hear the race commentators now " number 27 took a bad fall in turn 6 and it looks like...yes, he's been eviscerated, what a sad end to a promising career". electric whine isn't that bad after all considering the options.

 

[B. FRANK]

Quite a revolution!
I am no one and my opnion surely matters way less than Ferrari's one, but I am not convinced by their idea of just letting people choose their type of powertrain.
Honestly I believe that very few things last forever: enjoying a sunset is something that people could do both 1,000 years ago and hopefully people will do 1,000 years from now. Feeling something unique while using a Ferrari, or while seeing a Ferrari passing by, which is the typical interaction with Ferraris for most of the people, not so much IMHO. I really love those 80s/90s/early 2000s Ferraris with two pairs of round tail lights, producing amazing sounds. Back then when Schumacher won the F1 championship for consequent years and it just felt like it was the best brand of cars.
Then things started to change, apparently they had to change the design but I think they lost the family feeling and they had to start using electric motors, too, because how could they not. Now I won't question that modern Ferraris are great cars, but at least in my super humble opinion, they don't have that X factor anymore and electric ones will have it even less.
IMHO the engine sound is too strongly associated with a Ferrari not to feel that something is amiss with an electric one.
This affects other manufacturers, too, because apparently we won't have ICEs forever, but since apparently Ferraris are still mentioned as cars par excellence, like when people say that the Varg is the Ferrari of electric dirtbikes, I think that they are affected more than other brands.

What seems more sensible to me is that at some point, when there will be only EVs, those companies will just change their names and logos, maybe merge with other companies having more expertise in electricity and painfully accept that it has been great until it lasted.

I don't think electric vehicles by high end sports car manufacturers is nearly as appalling as Maserati, porsche, jaguar and Ferrari s.u.v.'s. what's next? corvette school busses? At least e sports cars will look cool and go fast.

 

[Theo]

I don't think electric vehicles by high end sports car manufacturers is nearly as appalling as Maserati, porsche, jaguar and Ferrari s.u.v.'s. what's next? corvette school busses? At least e sports cars will look cool and go fast.

Well, I would expect Porsche, Ferrari etc. to stick to their traditions and to be superior to trends like SUVs; I guess that at the end of the day they care about their revenues just like everybody else and so they adapt to what people want.
So yes, I agree that an electric Ferrari is more entitled to be a Ferrari than their SUV. Considering what they said in that video, I expect them to make electric SUVs, too, though, to satisfy who want them.