Battista EV hypercar begins final tests

The most powerful Italian sports car of all times is about to enter the final phase of testing ahead of its release.

The 1400kW Pininfarina Battista is an all-electric hypercar developed by the new vehicle manufacturer that sits alongside the famed 90 year-old design house of the same name.

Named after the founder of Pininfarina, just 150 Battistas will be built with first deliveries in Europe targeted at early 2021.

Just four are allocated to Australia and New Zealand agent Lorbeck Luxury Cars. The local price is expected to top $3 million by the time they arrive in 2022!

And that’s the standard version. The Battista Anniversario adds a ‘Furiosa’ styling and aerodynamics package, unique paint, some interior trim changes and light weight forged alloy wheels that will bump the price up hundreds of thousands of dollars. But just five will be made so that’s pretty limited edition.

As exclusive as Battista is, it is only the first model from Automibili Pininfarina which plans to rapidly expand its line-up with three more EV models at more affordable prices. Wouldn’t be hard… Within a few years it hopes to be selling 8000-10,000 vehicles per year.

The Battista produces its enormous power from four permanent magnet synchronous motors – 2 x 250kW up front and 2 x 450kW at the back –  along with a bitumen-peeling 2300Nm.

The performance numbers are stunning; 0-100km/h in under two seconds, 0-300km/h in under 12 seconds and a 350km/h top speed. And yet Pininfarina claims the 120kW/h battery pack can provide 500km-plus between recharges.

“My ambition is Battista will be an icon, will be a masterpiece,” Paolo Dellacha, the chief product and engineering officer of Automobili Pininfarina declared in an official video filmed last week and released over the weekend.

“It will not only be about the extreme power it is bringing, it is about combining the tradition of Pininfarina history with the level of technology that has never been achieved so far.

“Electrification unlocks the door to level of performance combined with a sustainable future that was never achievable before,” added Dellacha. “That’s why we wanted the Battista to be a full EV vehicle.”

In the film a prototype is filmed being assembled and it is this car that will soon be tested, following on previous mule drives in February.

“If you look at this prototype all the chassis, the powertrain, the low voltage and high voltage systems are completed; closures, trims  and interiors are (close to the final phase).

“We will start in the next week the final chassis set-up and the preparation of the software and finally this car will be hitting the road in a few weeks from now to start its testing phase.”

The Battista’s T-shaped battery sourced from Croation EV specialists Rimac is fitted to the monocoque in a tight space underneath the two-seater cockpit. The form and position helps optimise driving dynamics, Dellacha said.

“Most of the weight is moved to the rear part of the vehicle so we privilege the rear-wheel driving dynamics before the all-wheel drive takes over according to the need of the car,” he explained.

The Battista battery case joins the monocoque and outer panels in being made from carbon-fibre to increase both strength and save weight.

“The carbon battery we have designed and developed for the Battista is like a  full element of the vehicle so it is providing the energy … but is also giving structure to the vehicle and allowing the outstanding driving dynamics the Battista will have,” Dellacha explained.

The Battista’s driving dynamics have been honed in co-operation with former F1 driver Nick Heidfeld on the road and in an advanced three-dimensional driving simulator.

The Battista will be stopped by a Brembo braking system that borrows from Formula 1 technology. Front and rear carbon-ceramic brakes are estimated by Dellacha to offer 2.5 times the strength of a standard carbon-ceramics.

The brakes are also couple together into a recuperation system that can reclaim up to 80 per cent of energy in normal driving conditions.

By the time the Battista gets to Australia an even more powerful electrified hypercar, the 1471kW Lotus Evija, should be on-sale here. Now that would be a comparo!