GranTurismo Folgore is finally a reality. The house of the Trident has made known the main figures of the battery-powered super sports car, which outline a modern design approach with some counter-current solutions, aiming to optimize performance in full Maserati style. The powerful electric powertrain adapts to the main trends of the electric car industry, at the same time reinterpreting them to stand out from the competition in the market. The real strength of GranTurismo Folgore lies not so much in reaching 610 kW of maximum power and 1350 Nm of combined torque, but in the ample freedom of control and distribution between the four-wheel drive.
The housing of the battery pack is, as always, the starting point for a 100% electric car. The platform dates back to a new project set up in 2017, with the aim of developing a common basis for all versions of GranTurismo. In fact, Folgore also shares the chassis with Modena and Trofeo, the two thermal models of the GranTurismo powered by the V6 Nettuno. It is therefore remarkable how the Modena manufacturer has created a common basis for two cars at the antipodes as regards the powertrain, still managing to achieve first-class performance without having to resort to excessive compromises. There multi-material shell is made of 65% aluminumaccompanied by the presence of magnesium alloys and steel positioned in strategic points.
The battery boasts a capacity of 92.5 kWh, of which only 83 kWh they are actually usable. The nominal voltage is particularly high, equal to 800 V, thus focusing on high voltage to reduce the intensity of current with the same power transferred, ensuring lower dissipation and greater energy efficiency, which translates into extension of autonomy and reduction of consumption. As is now customary on electric cars, the accumulator is housed inside the lower floor to lower the center of gravity as much as possible. However, Maserati has arranged the individual modules according to a particular scheme nicknamed “T-bone”, Which appears as a further optimization of traditional architectures. The battery is arranged under the central tunnel, without however occupying space under the seats, thus allowing it to be lowered to the advantage of the height of both the center of mass and the roof, which does not exceed 1353 mm, with a smaller external aerodynamic encumbrance. . All in all all masses of the accumulator are located very close to the roll axis, reducing the car’s inertia tensor especially as regards the yaw, preserving the reactivity in the changes of direction. Inevitably, however, the battery has an approved weight of almost 500 kg higher than the Modena and Trofeo, with Folgore reaching 2260 kg.
The battery is capable of delivering up to 560 kW of power in combination, with momentary peaks of 610 kW with the Max boost function, equivalent to approx. 830 horses. A power / weight ratio of 0.37 hp / kg, better at 0.27 and 0.31 hp / kg of Modena and Trofeo respectively. From the accumulator, the power is distributed between three identical driving modules, one on the front axle and two on the rear axle. It could not be otherwise for a car with a weight distribution between the two axles at 50%, which pushes to direct the power more to the rear to take advantage of the greater grip guaranteed by the longitudinal load transfer. The inverters are silicon-carbon and derive directly from the experience accumulated by Stellantis in Formula E, where until 2022 it was present with DS which from next season will be joined by Maserati.
The three electric motors, of 300 kW each, for a combined theoretical power of 900 kW are worthy of further study. Maserati has chosen the architecture of radial flow, capable of guaranteeing considerable power density, which in fact reaches 9.2 kW / kg, which results in a weight of each engine close to 33 kg. Nevertheless, the torque delivered is not sacrificed at all, reaching peaks in combined well 1350 Nmwhich guarantee a torque / weight ratio of 0.60 Nm / kg, almost double compared to the 0.33 Nm / kg of Modena and the 0.36 Nm / kg of Folgore. However, it is noted how the three engines alone can theoretically reach a combined power of 1200 horsepower, which is not reflected in the battery’s potential “limited” to 830 horsepower. Maserati has therefore deliberately chosen to oversize its engines, a decision often rejected by other car manufacturers to prevent excess weight from undermining the vehicle’s range.
The strategy of the house of the Trident, however, aims to guarantee maximum freedom of management in the distribution of torque between the three engines, to ensure that the control of the car’s dynamics is not limited by the performance of the individual engines, to the point that all the engine power is theoretically downloadable from the rear wheels alone. However, the distribution of torque and power takes place not only between the front and rear axles, but also between the right and left side of the car. In fact, the mechanical differential is absent at the rear, as each engine independently controls its respective wheel. GranTurismo Folgore is thus equipped with the strategy of Torque Vectoring, which by differentiating torque, power and rotation speed between the two wheels can impart steering moments to the car to correct or emphasize oversteer or understeer tendencies. All this replicates the behavior of an electronically controlled differential, but with almost unlimited capabilities.
Maserati has defined the new control strategies as predictive, contrary to the previous reactive logics, ensuring greater responsiveness. Central to this is the VDCM, which stands for Vehicle Domain Control Module, defined as the “vehicle master controller”. VDCM is a 100% Maserati project, in which the software was entirely designed, developed and implemented by the Modena manufacturer. The new electronic architecture supervises every dynamic aspect of the car and interacts with the driver through the selection of different modes on the steering wheel. These include the four options for the intensity of regenerative braking in electricat the maximum level it recharges the battery with a power of 400 kW, ensuring a deceleration of 0.65 g by itself.
Great work by Maserati has also been done on aerodynamics, with the penetration coefficient Cx which drops to 0.26, against 0.28 for the thermal counterparts. In this sense, the advantage given by the simplification of internal aerodynamics is inevitable thanks to the lower amount of heat to be removed through the cooling system compared to a combustion engine. Also present a Air Shutter, the automatic closing system of the cooling grid according to the speed and thermal state of the powertrain to reduce resistance to motion. Much of the active control of aerodynamics, however, is entrusted to the suspension, with one quadrilateral layout with double swinging arm at the front and a welcome multilink at the rear. The internal elements, on the other hand, consist of pneumatic springs with electronic damping control, which exploit the air compression to replicate the elastic and damping behavior normally given by the deformation of mechanical components. The VDCM is thus able to regulate the stiffness and the damping characteristic, as well as obviously the height from the ground, depending on whether in certain contexts the priority on the aerodynamic level is efficiency or downforce, thinking instead on the dynamic front when favor comfort or reactivity in changes of direction.
In this sense, a lot depends on the four driving modes that the driver can select directly from the driver’s seat. Going from the most conservative mapping to the one for sports use, the suspensions gradually stiffen, the ground clearance decreases, the aerodynamic load tends to increase, the response to the pedal becomes more ready, the performances are optimized and the control strategies become less and less invasive, leaving more space for the driver. It starts with the modality Max Range, which aims to save energy by limiting the maximum speed to 130 km / h. The default mapping follows GT, with 80% of the maximum available power, hence the mode Race, with maximum downforce, the possibility of using Launch Control and manual adjustment of Torque Vectoring and Traction Control parameters. Also present a Performance Optimizer, to select the Max boost strategy by maximizing acceleration, rather than the Endurance option, to ensure prolonged high-power driving without excessively stressing the battery. For the driver, it is also possible to select the ESC-Off option to completely deactivate the vehicle dynamics controls.
Great attention was also paid to the sound, to offer buyers an exciting auditory experience. As explained directly by Maserati, “The natural sound dynamics of the electric motors driven by the inverters have been digitally shaped and integrated with the typical sound contributions extracted from the sound of the Maserati V8 tradition.[…] Of course, exhaust and intake are not present on an electric car and therefore the sound tuning function is delegated to sophisticated signal processing softwareoperated by sophisticated synthesizers and released into the air by both internal and external high quality speakers ”.
The performance figures tell of a shot d0 to 100 km / h in 2.7 seconds, while 8.8 seconds are needed to reach 200 km / h, with a top speed of 320 km / h. As for recharging, on the other hand, at 400 V the power is 50 kW, while at 800 V it goes up to 270 kW, with which it is possible to recover 100 km of autonomy in just five minutes. Overall, the GranTurismo Folgore perfectly conveys the soul of Maserati in the panorama of electric super sports cars. Although arriving late compared to other competitors on the market, the house of the Trident has not limited itself to replicating the most popular settings of the moment, but has made them its own by reinterpreting them in a new perspective.
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