Who knows if Adolfo Orsi, in the period in which he owned Maserati between 1937 and 1968, ever thought that one of his splendid sports cars - or rather an entire range - would devour the asphalt and enthuse the driver thanks to electric power.
However, batteries and Volts were not an unknown topic in the Orsi family, because one branch of the business concerned 'electric tramways', but also because at the turn of 1940-1941 a battery factory (which was merged with the Maserati Spark Plug Factory) and a manufacturing line for Silens 'electric trucks' for the transport of goods.
Photo story Grecale's elegance and sporty look enhanced in the Folgore version - Photos - Ansa.it
Today - in any case - Adolfo Orsi would certainly be satisfied with the work done in the development of the Folgore electric propulsion system. And in particular, with what the 100% battery variant represents in the Grecale SUV range, which (is the same House of the Trident to reiterate) was designed and developed to guarantee an 'exceptional every day' experience even when the advantages of electric are combined with the performance DNA of Maserati.
These evaluations, which inevitably lead back to the great and long history of the Modena brand, are the basis of the observation (not at all obvious before putting Grecale Folgore to the test) that it is possible to create an electric Maserati that offers the identical driving emotions of a gas.
Grecale Folgore - which completes a range that also includes internal combustion and hybrid engines in which the correct balance between sportiness and elegance is always found - entering the future of electrification with a character all its own, in which it matters little what energy it transmits driving torque to all four wheels.
And in which travel pleasure, driving precision at the highest speeds and Maserati-style emotions coexist in this case with the appreciable concept of zero exhaust emissions.
And remaining on the subject of comfort and dynamic qualities, it should be remembered that all Folgores are fitted as standard with pneumatic suspensions which enhance the advantages of the low center of gravity (due to the position of the battery pack).
This variant of Grecale (which is 100% designed, developed and produced in Italy) is based on a 105 kWh battery that uses 400 Volt technology, guaranteeing not only great dynamic performance but also an almost 'racing' mode in supplies.
Thanks to the 'Automatic battery pre-conditioning' mode which is managed through the Maserati Charge App (created together with Bosch) it is possible to make the charging experience truly efficient and fast.
In fact, the App not only allows you to access one of the largest charging networks in Europe - with 650 thousand charging points, of which over 90 thousand are fast and ultra-fast - but to prepare the operation in order to go from 20 to 80%. charging in just 29 minutes.
As we pleasantly verified on the roads of Lecce and the area around Santa Maria di Leuca, the new electric SUV from Maserati makes available to the driver the 410 kW (i.e. 557 HP) delivered by the two engines and above all a torque of 820 Nm of couple.
Without having to manage different operations compared to a petrol Maserati, those sitting behind the wheel can choose with the traditional handle on the steering wheel between the GT, Sport and Offroad driving modes to which is added (given the electric propulsion system) the Max Range one to optimize autonomy.
In this regard, the WLTP approval speaks of a maximum value of 501 km, with a consumption of 24 kW every 100 km.
These values which, in real use, are influenced by traffic and road conditions and above all by driving style.
If you are not looking for extreme performance - and above all you take into account the speed limits on extra-urban roads and motorways - the Grecale Folgore is in the 27-28 kW / 100 km range.
This is a fact which, however, makes it interesting in calculating the operating cost compared to the 300 and 330 HP MHEV petrol variants and even more so when compared with the 530 HP V6 Trofeo variant which has similar power to the Folgore.
Maserati expects a price list for the Grecale Folgore starting from 127,000 euros.
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