Maserati unveils its first EV: The all-electric GranTurismo Folgore
Ahead of its arrival in Formula E in the Season 9, Maserati gave us a preview of what’s to come on the streets of Rome with its new, all-electric GranTurismo Folgore prototype before the double-header Rome E-Prix.
Now, we’ve gotten a first glimpse of the final production model – the company’s first production EV. It’s a premium, zero-emission GT with a lightning-quick 0-60mph time of 2.7 seconds and a top speed nudging 200mph, the Folgore sports a tri-motor, all-wheel drive setup with close to 750bhp and some 1,350Nm of torque.
The Italian marque’s flagship can cover up to 279 miles on a charge and can be topped up at charging speeds of 270kW thanks to its 800-volt electrics. On a rapid charger, that means 60 miles of range in only five minutes.
The 92.8kWh battery sits in a “T-bone” inside the car’s chassis rather than in a deck, allowing the car to sit lower than other EVs – with the aim of improving the car’s handling and agility. There’s plenty of customisation for drivers to set the car up for the track or a cruise, too with four driving modes and four levels of regenerative braking controlled by paddles on the steering wheel.
Maserati’s decided to give the Folgore all the looks of its iconic and long-running four-seat grand-touring flagship, while a cleaner interior with fewer physical switches, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay across a 12.3-inch central touchscreen and 12.2-inch driver’s display and heads-up display all make the cut alongside the Folgore’s signature sound played both inside and out of the cabin.
Folgore: Maserati’s lightning drive to an all-electric future
Translated as ‘lightning’, the Folgore nameplate will appear on all of Maserati’s future full-electric cars, including its new Grecale SUV, which will also be available in an electric version in 2023 and is equipped with a 105-kWh battery using 400V technology.
Using its entry into Formula E to test and hone its electric car technology, Maserati’s Folgore offering will extend to the MC20 supercar, a new Quattroporte sport sedan and the all-new Levante SUV by 2025, ahead of the marque going fully-electric by 2030.
Recycled materials play a part in Maserati’s vision for the future, too, with nylon recovered from used fishing nets an example of where the Italian marque wants to take things in reducing its footprint in materials as well as in road-going emissions.
