Maserati GranTurismo Folgore (2023): The GT uses E-Drive

Maserati has taken its time with the electric car: the Italians are also launching the second generation of the GranTurismo touring car in an electric-only version. It’s called Folgore, appropriately the Italian word for electric, which the brand will also use as the name for other upcoming electric models.

Visually, the Folgore differs only slightly from its combustion engine siblings Modena and Trofeo: It has small air intakes on the right and left of the front and instead of the oil filter neck above the left rear fender, it has charge. port on the left at the level of the rear sill – and of course it is missing two tailpipes; A large black diffuser makes the rear look sporty enough. Maserati says its coefficient of air resistance as a good 0.26.

Body and interior

Internally there is no difference to the combustion engine models. The on-screen menus are designed according to the electric drive and the colors of the start button are different – at least in the models we’ve been able to see. There are still shift paddles: they allow the driver to choose the level of recovery. Pulling on the right paddle increases recovery, pulling on the left decreases it. It has not yet been finally decided whether Folgore will also have a parking paddle function for combustion engine models. The central tunnel is also preserved in the electric model – this is where the bulk of the battery consisting of 32 modules is located, which forms a cube in front of the central tunnel and extends in a T shape behind the rear seats. So the engineers managed that the whole car, at 1.35 meters, remained low like its combustion engine brothers. In addition, the occupants sit closer to the pavement in a sporty manner and the battery should focus on the vehicle’s center of gravity more in the middle of the vehicle between right and left. In addition, there is an excellent weight distribution of 50:50 percent between front and rear, which promises high agility.

Smaller stem

However, Folgore should leave a few liters in the trunk compared to Modena and Trofeo: While the combustion engines can carry 310 liters, the electric version has only 270 liters. The reason for this is two electric motors are located on the rear axle, which forces the action taken on the floor of the trunk. After all, the designers fought for the right way on the right side of the trunk that goes outside, which makes it possible to transport a golf bag.

Folgore customers are usually denied a look under the front hood: Unlike the combustion engines, the large aluminum hood on the electric version cannot be opened. GranTurismo development manager Sandro Bernardini is pleased that the wind does not open the skillfully constructed hood at a speed of 300 kilometers per hour – this required advanced aerodynamics above and below the hood. Now only experts can reach here – and then they see that Folgore has two transverse and two longitudinal beams for tightening. For combustion engine models, one cross is enough. In addition, the 12-volt battery is located on the right side in the front engine compartment in the combustion engine, located at the rear of the vehicle. And in order to be able to fill the washer water tank of the electric model despite the front hood being closed, the engineers moved its filter neck to the base of the windshield. There is a small screw cap in the groove of the windshield drain, in which the filler neck of the puller is hidden.

Driving: three motors, four wheels driven

Three permanent magnet synchronous motors are responsible for the drive in the GranTurismo Folgore – one is located in the middle of the front axle, two are located on the right and left of the rear axle.

The silicon carbide inverter (SiC inverter) is located in the front central motor. SiC converters are smaller, lighter, and have a higher power density than traditional silicon converters, making them faster and more efficient. They convert the direct current provided by the battery into alternating current and, conversely, the alternating current obtained during the recovery into direct current. In addition, scalable SiC inverters work best with the 800 volt technology used in Folgore. With their new SiC converter, Maserati engineers refer to their Formula E development, in which Maserati has been participating since 2023.

Torque Vectoring am Heck

All three motors work completely independently of each other; There is no mechanical connection between the two rear engines. They enable torque vectoring, i.e. demand-based distribution of torque between the right and left rear wheels – so 100 percent of the power can be applied to either the right or left rear drive. Like combustion engines, Folgore also has fully variable all-wheel drive – if necessary, the front engine is completely switched off.

Each motor produces 300 kilowatts, or 408 hp. System output is “only” 560 kW (761 hp). In boost mode, 610 kW (829 hp) is possible. The maximum torque of the system is given as 1,350 Nm. Engineers still do not want to reveal how long such an addition will work. It’s only available in Corsa racing trim – and engineers insist it’s available for longer than just ten seconds. The drives in the Porsche Taycan Turbo S and Mercedes-AMG EQS also produce 560 kW. In all three cars, performance is limited by the battery.

Own battery with a range of 450 km

The Folgore battery, developed by Maserati and produced at the Stellantis Mirafiori factory in Turin, has a total capacity of 92.5 kilowatt hours, of which 83 kWh can be used. According to WLTP, one battery charge should enable a distance of 450 km. Recharging is possible with up to 270 kW – if this charging power is available, a range of 100 km can be recharged within five minutes. It takes 20 minutes to increase the charge from 20 to 80 percent. The energy recovery system should be able to recover under ideal conditions with an output of up to 400 kW.

When it comes to performance, the Folgore beats its combustion engine siblings: it hits 100 km/h in 2.7 seconds, and 200 km/h is claimed to be reached in 8.8 seconds – that will be 0.8 seconds less than the Taycan Turbo S. And while the Trofeo can reaching a speed of up to 320 km/h, Folgore even goes a few kilometers per hour and up to 325 km/h. The top model of the Taycan stops at 260 kilometers per hour.

Unique art sound

And Maserati also wants to update the iconic sound of its predecessor with its electric GranTurismo. So the acousticians created an artificial electric sound that sounds a little like the sound of a synthesized combustion engine – it was really successful and powerful. There are two 120 watt speakers in the back of the car that are only for engine sound. The entire Folgore sound system is designed for this additional sound: artificial frequencies should not disturb or drown out the music and speech from the sound system.

Market launch and pricing

Maserati GranTurismo Folgore can be ordered from the end of January 2024. The base price in the configuration is 200,592 euros. This means that the electric version fits between the two versions of the V6 combustion engine.