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Electric Maserati

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  • 31st July 2017 at 9:10 am #5296
    Mick Sheppard
    Participant

    Sergio Marchionne is well known for his opposition to electric cars but at the end of last week said that the next versions of the Maserati range will have some electrification and hinted that Maserati will race in Formula E. The press seems to be taking this as a switch to an entirely electric power plant starting in 2020. What do people think?

    31st July 2017 at 10:06 am #5298
    Graham Wood
    Participant

    His comment about it being for the ‘next range’ due in 2020 are interesting!

    They announced last year there will be a hybrid Levante in 2018. I cannot see a purely standalone electric model being produced by 2020, rather electric versions of the next generation models. They have until 2040 in the UK from what I hear is happening in Blighty!

    FCA were talking about an electric version of the Alfieri a year ago – so it all depends on when the Alfieri will finally make production…..

    But, of course….. electric Masers are old hat…….

    15th August 2017 at 9:38 am #5444
    Eric Toft
    Keymaster

    Enjoy the internal combustion engine and driving while you can, it is only a matter of time until they are consigned to history and become quaint relics of a bygone age. I believe that in a surprisingly short period of time we will move away from owning personal transport to ‘hailing’ a self driving ‘personal transport pod’ with our communication device to take us to our destination. Given that for most people, most journeys are short commutes in traffic electric propulsion makes a great deal of sense, couple this with the present situation of the majority of new vehicles already being leased under PCP plans rather than purchased and you can see that this is only a short step on from where we are at present.

    Do I want this to happen? No, as anyone who knows we will tell you, I am an fully paid up petrol head but I realise that I am in a minority and for the majority of people electric vehicles make sense. We have still to overcome a number of issues, such as range and charging times and as EV’s become more popular we will see issues regarding access to charging points and the capacity of the electricity grid to cope, but these issues can and will be addressed.

    Will Maserati join the EV party? They have no choice, it is a matter of when not if. We have to remember that it was not that many years ago we would not have dreamt of a Maserati having a diesel engine or of a Maserati SUV…

    15th August 2017 at 8:46 pm #5454
    Lee Moore
    Participant

    I think you are probably right, although I suspect a few more options will appear with some forms of hybrid leading the way. Electric vehicles have been given a helping hand, with free parking etc for them but that will not last once they are in the majority. Electricity is clean once it has been generated but generating it is still an issue.

    I also wonder about the environmental impact of updating to the latest green vehicle every few years rather than maintaining something a little longer. Is it true that the creation of a vehcle has the biggest environmental impact? If so maybe owning a Maserati long term isn’t quite so bad? I think I can convince myself of that argument ….

    16th August 2017 at 6:47 am #5456
    Mick Sheppard
    Participant

    I’ve talked about the whole autonomous driving and personal pods with friends and colleagues. The problems we see with both are in sub-optimal road conditions. E.g. roads with faded markings, roads covered with water/snow/leaves. Whilst autonomous driving will become the norm in some cities and on major highways, once you get off those everything becomes much more difficult as things are less predictable.

    Electric is a different matter, but we are still some way off this being a viable alternative for everyone,  especially in rural areas. I intend to run petrol engines for as long as I can. It’s what I’ve grown up with and whilst electric may be able to give me the acceleration it won’t feel or sound the same. Having said that I’m not averse to mild-hybridisation to assist with city driving and to boost the 0-60 times 😀

    16th August 2017 at 4:36 pm #5463
    Graham Wood
    Participant

    If hydrogen can be produced efficiently (most certainly not at the moment), that too will be a viable alternative. I believe there are currently 3 hydrogen powered cars on the market at the moment.

    This would be my favoured way forward, as, if the appropriate research is continued into the production processes of hydrogen, this will be greener than electricity.

    It will interesting to see how things progress over the next couple of years…..

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