Maserati Grecale Folgore electric SUV may get 500kW – report
Watch out Tesla and Porsche: Italian brand Maserati’s new electric mid-size SUV may overtake its rivals in the power stakes, according to new information.
Maserati’s electric challenger to the Tesla Model Y and next Porsche Macan, the upcoming 2023 Maserati Grecale Folgore, could offer dual motors developing as much as 500kW, according to new details posted online and unearthed by Drive.
Information published online indicates the electric Grecale will launch for Model Year 2023 – suggesting a reveal alongside the petrol-engined range next month, ahead of first overseas deliveries as early as late 2022 – and will offer dual-motor all-wheel drive as standard.
The website suggests the Grecale ‘Folgore’ (Italian for ‘lightning’) will be powered by two 250kW electric motors – one on each axle – suggesting a combined output of up to 500kW, which would make it the most powerful production (and road-going) Maserati ever produced.
Mated to the motors is tipped to be a 400-volt battery pack, joined by what’s described as an “on-board charging module” and an all-wheel-drive disconnect system, allowing one of the motors (likely the front) to be decoupled to save energy.
No details of power, driving range, battery capacity or performance figures are given, though with all-wheel drive and as much as 500kW on tap, the 0-100km/h sprint time is likely to start with a three.
The Grecale Folgore’s claimed 400-volt, dual-motor powertrain is in contrast to the more advanced 800-volt system destined for Maserati’s other new electric cars – including this year’s MC20 supercar, GranTurismo coupe and GranCabrio convertible – which will use three electric motors, and support 300kW DC fast charging.
It’s not clear why the Grecale electric vehicle (EV) would opt for a 400-volt system, though it’s possible its platform – a revised version of the Giorgio architecture underpinning the Alfa Romeo Stelvio and Giulia, dating back to 2015 – may not be able to support three motors and a higher voltage.
This barrier is not faced by Maserati’s next-generation EVs – from the aforementioned sports cars, to the next Levante and Quattroporte – which were engineered with electric power in mind from the start of the development process.
In a recent roundtable with Australian media, Alfa Romeo officials opened the door to electric versions of the current-generation, Giorgio-based Giulia and Stelvio, with the brand to announce its plans towards the end of 2022 – but it remains to be seen whether that will rule out EV models, or confirm their launches.
The near or full 500kW output would put the Grecale Folgore at the top of the mid-size luxury electric SUV segment, pushing it beyond the Tesla Model Y Performance (393kW), Audi E-Tron S (370kW), Genesis Electrified GV70 (360kW) and Mercedes-Benz EQC400 (300kW).
While it remains to be seen how potent the upcoming Porsche Macan EV will be, Porsche’s current Taycan Turbo sedan quotes 500kW when launch control is active – with the Turbo S upping the stakes to 560kW under the same conditions.
The super-speed electric option will be joined in showrooms by a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol four-cylinder engine with mild-hybrid assistance and 221kW/400Nm outputs, as well as a detuned version of the MC20 supercar’s 3.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V6 (click here for more details).
The 2022 Maserati Grecale will make its debut on March 22 – with the electric Folgore model likely to debut alongside it, or at a later date.
The core Grecale range is due to arrive in Australia in the fourth quarter of 2022 (October to December), though it’s not clear if the electric variant will be part of this line-up.
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