We have entered what may possibly be the last full decade of internal combustion engines. A momentous
period in future history books. Currently on the verge of a tipping point, we’re seeing more and
more manufacturers turn to electric propulsion for their mainstream passenger vehicles.
But we’re not all about that mainstream life; many of us aspire to one day own
an exotic supercar or hypercar, and that’s what we’re going to look at today. Will the
exotics ever produce EVs in the same way that mainstream manufacturers do, and if so, when?
Three in four Americans fear that EVs are “not ready for prime time,” and that’s just
daily drivers, with fewer having confidence in performance exotic EVs.
To understand the challenges that the supercars face in their conversion to electric,
we must delve deeper into why it is that people buy them in the first place.
For many, it’s about the thrill of driving, and all the senses that come with it.
That’s why Pagani, for example, has said that it will never entertain the idea of driverless
technology in its hypercars. Its customers are buying these cars as second cars, or even third,
or fourth, and so on. These cars don’t become their owners’ daily drivers, they are reserved
for pleasure at the weekend. Owners are driving them, because they want to drive.
Ferrari agrees; the noise produced by its engines make up part of the brand’s emotional offering.
While Porsche has already begun to tackle this with its ‘Electric Sport Sound’ - an acoustic
signal that sits somewhere between the usual spaceship-like sound that we’re familiar with,
and a classic six cylinder boxer engine - nothing quite beats the sound of multiple
cylinders working together in perfect harmony. Other companies are also employing sound engineers
who have been tasked with designing the perfect sound to match the vehicle’s characteristics.
But there’s a lot more to it than the drivers’ feelings. Developing an electric hypercar would
be like developing a petrol powered smartphone. It just doesn’t work. While milestones have been
reached, and passed, by the likes of Tesla, range remains a genuine concern for many EV drivers.
A concern that is further affected by the outside temperature, the climate control settings,
and the owner’s driving mannerisms. And it’s exactly those mannerisms that are
causing concern to the exotics - such a fast car should be built to be driven enthusiastically.
Yes, the instant torque and astonishing acceleration can be frightening in any EV,
especially hypercars, but the drain that this would have on the battery is the most frightening.
It’s not just Ferrari that thinks this - in a statement about the feasibility of an electric
McLaren, the company said that current battery technology is not yet sophisticated enough.
A staggering amount of energy is required to drive at high performance, which then leaves drivers
with the challenge of charging the vehicle, a process which for many owners takes hours.
Regardless, let’s assume that manufacturers are well underway in their missions to develop
electric hypercars, which is partially true, by the way. The coronavirus pandemic has hit the auto
industry so hard that the financial implications have shifted priorities away from this futuristic
goal, and more towards surviving and riding out this big wave. According to one report,
at the height of the pandemic in 2020, 7.5 million fewer cars were on our roads. Only 10%
of all manufacturers in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, had not suspended business.
Be it a supercar or a city car, manufacturers have noticed that converting any model from
internal combustion to EV is almost impossible. The careful packaging of the batteries, which
themselves can weigh upwards of half a tonne, need to be considered in the initial design,
which is why we are only seeing the introduction of electric powertrains in brand new models,
or completely redesigned generation updates. With an average car lasting 5-7 years before it gets
refreshed with a generation update, it’s easy to see why things aren’t just happening overnight.
We’ve covered the ‘why not,’ and I don’t think we need to cover the
‘why.’ We all know the benefits of electric cars,
from engaging driving characteristics to moving our reliance away from fossil based fuels,
but let’s get more to the point. Will we ever see an electric exotic car, supercar or hypercar?
Let’s jump into each exotic manufacturer and investigate their plans, starting with Ferrari.
The Italian icon is famed for LaFerrari, a hybrid with an offering of almost 1,000 horsepower.
But that was merely a test, and what comes next is even better. Its SF90 Stradale makes use of a
4.0-litre twin turbo V8, a pair of electric motors on each of the front axles, and a further electric
motor between the engine and the gearbox at the rear. The plug-in is good for 0-62 in 2.5 seconds.
One step at a time, and Maranello hasn’t ruled out an electric powertrain just yet.
The company’s CEO does not see the company’s future being fully electric,
however sketches have already been leaked showing a quad-motor four wheel drive setup
for a 2-seater for a single EV which could be launched in the second half of this decade.
Continuing with the theme of Italy, Lamborghini has featured on many childhood bedroom walls. But
I bet none of them were powered by electricity! Just like Ferrari, its limited run Sián concept
is a test of the waters, this time a mild hybrid with a tiny 34 horsepower electric boost.
However, the green light has been given to a 4-door based loosely on a 2008 concept car,
set to arrive in 2025. It will look similar to the Porsche Taycan, and Audi e-tron GT;
no surprise then, as it shares ownership with both companies.
Questions were raised about whether the concept would be front or mid engined when first revealed,
but in a not-so-shocking twist, an EV powertrain is on the table. Lamborghini
will be collaborating with MIT on its next EV - the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Pagani has also confirmed that an electric car is in the making, and that a team of
20 is already on the case. The quirky Italian automaker has also come up with a solution to
the lack of engine sound: “we’re working on it, and we’re quite confident,” we’re told.
The fourth, and final, Italian maker of dreams, Maserati, is already making steps in the right
direction. Its mid-sized saloon, the Ghibli, is already on sale with a hybrid powertrain,
but fully electric models are destined to arrive as early as this year.
The first models to be touched by the company’s electric division will be the GranTurismo and
GranCabrio, according to a press release on the company’s website. A brand new crossover,
the Grecale, will be arriving shortly after, itself with an electric variant, while an MC20,
Levante, and Quattroporte EV will join the lineup in the next couple of years.
It’s stepping out of Italy that we lose a bit of clarity. Heading on over to nearby Germany,
the Volkswagen Group owns more companies than you may imagine. It’s not just Audi, Skoda and
Seat that sit under the giant umbrella. Bugatti, once famed for breaking the top speed record,
is said to be undergoing some changes. The company has recently confirmed that the
responsibility for the brand is being transferred to VW-owned Porsche, where a Rimac joint venture
will be discussed. Porsche currently owns around a quarter of the Croatian brand.
Bentley is also dabbling in the possibility of electric propulsion.
Following the launch of a hybridised Bentayga SUV, company bosses want to concentrate on an EV.
This high-riding saloon will likely replace, or sit alongside, the Flying Spur, and it may come
as no surprise that it could share parts with the Taycan and e-tron GT from its sister companies.
The Taycan, for example, can produce 760 horsepower in its top spec.
The only EV in Porsche’s books; the company does have prior experience hybridising its
Panamera and Cayenne, and there’s already talk of an electrified Macan joining soon.
Porsche expects 30-40% of its cars sold to be electric in the next 5 years.
Over the channel and across to the UK where McLaren is already testing a pure EV.
We don’t know much about an upcoming car, but the powertrains are certainly being tested,
and will be teased with the company’s first hybrid as early as this year.
By 2022, it imagines that half of all McLarens will be a hybrid of some sort.
But it’s not all good news and promised dates. Much of the exotic’s electrification process
is up in the air at the moment. Remember Aston Martin’s Cygnet? A modified Toyota iQ
introduced to help the brand meet European emissions targets. It was destined to be an
EV way back in 2013, as was the Rapide which had the plug pulled at the last minute. Today,
we’re told that the Lagonda should be electrified by 2025, but that remains to be proven true.
Today, Mercedes owns a 20% stake in the brand, so the possibility is raised thanks to Mercedes’
expertise in the EV segment, itself boasting a wide range of electric, plug-in and mild hybrids.
Swedish Koenigsegg is also a bit vague on the matter. A pair of hybrids already make up the
company’s portfolio, the twin-turbo 5.0-litre V8 Regera, and the 2.0-litre 3-cylinder Gemera
with its trio of electric motors and total of 1,700 horsepower. Despite this,
the company sees a battery cell shortage in our all-electric future, so is a bit hesitant when
it comes to relying on this new source of power. Owing to the electric revolution, producers and
manufacturers of batteries will need to source up to 18 times more lithium and 5 times more
cobalt by 2030, a deadline set by many countries and states for a reduction in overall emissions.
By 2050, 50 time more lithium and 15 times more cobalt reveal the true pressure on the industry.
Doom and gloom it is not. One automaker in particular is keen to demonstrate the power
of electric, with the launch of its first car. Designer of many Ferraris, the last of
which being the F12berlinetta, Pininfarina has launched its very own electric car. The
Battista shares technology borrowed from Rimac, and boasts 1,900 horsepower, 2,300 Nm of torque,
a sub 2 second 0-62 time, a sub 12 second 0-186 time, and a 217 mph top speed. On track for 2021
deliveries, only 150 will be made, but Pininfarina plans to introduce 3 more EVs in the next 3 years.
While bans are in place for petrol and diesel powered cars from as early
as the start of the next decade, there’s nothing to say that these won’t be revised
to allow the continuation of certain gas guzzlers, allowing the exotics to
continue with the sound of a V8 subject to a heavy tax hit. Quite frankly, who knows?
The future, then, is uncertain. We are living in a time of testing and experiment,
and until the results are clearly shown, many of the exotics are reluctant to invest
heavily in the electric market. While 2025 appears to be a deadline for most,
it is not unlikely that this deadline will be pushed back.
The brands we’ve mentioned today all have one thing in common; a history built on
driver engagement and petrol power. How do you feel about the electrification of their models,
both from an economic-environmental point of view, and a pure pleasure aspect?