Maserati MC20 EV supercar coming- and it’ll be quicker than the ICE

Don’t get too excited about this MC20, the car that marks the opening of a new era for Maserati. There’s a faster version coming … and it’s an electric car.

Maserati will first produce the MC20 in a form any Ferrari fan or Lamborghini lover will recognise: high-revving internal-combustion engine (ICE) behind low-roofed two-seat cabin, with drive to only the rear wheels.  

This is the version, now reaching production, that was revealed at an event staged overnight in the long-lived Italian car maker’s hometown, Modena. Maserati also revealed it plans to follow up with a folding hardtop Spyder MC20 in 2021.

This predictable move in turn will be followed by an electrified version due in 2022.

One senior engineer on the MC20 program confirmed the EV will have better off-the-line acceleration than the ICE versions. Maserati claims a 0-100km/h time of less than 2.9 seconds for the 463kW twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 coupe seen here, and this is already the kind of scary-fast number achieved only by elite-grade sports cars.

While Maserati isn’t yet discussing the MC20 EV in detail, the electric MC20 will be a pure battery electric vehicle. It’s clear the car will share battery, motor and electric powertrain technology with other EVs it is currently working on.

All-new versions of the company’s sporty Gran Turismo and Gran Cabrio are due next year, and both will be produced with a variety of powertrain options, including EV.

800V EV tech, triple EV motors

What has so far been revealed by Maserati about its EV technology is impressive. The powertrains will all feature 800-volt battery packs, like the Porsche Taycan. The high-voltage battery packs will allow DC fast charging at rates up to 300kW, Maserati claims. This could make Maserati’s EVs the fastest chargers on the market, and it’s a level no other car maker has yet achieved.

The MC20, Gran Turismo and Gran Cabrio will all be triple-motor EVs. Maserati will use two electric motors in the rear axle, which will endow the cars with a degree of handling-enhancing torque-vectoring control the company describes as “unprecedented”. With a single motor driving the front axle, the Maseratis will be e-AWDs. This explains the acceleration advantage of the MC20 EV over its ICE-powered siblings.

F1, Formula E tech for Maserati

Maserati also plans to be first to market with an advanced technology from hybrid Formula 1 and electric Formula E race cars. The higher switching frequency of silicon carbide (SiC) inverters supports faster, lighter and more efficient electric motors, boosting both performance and driving range. In the case of the MC20 EV, Maserati engineers are aiming for a driving range of at least 380km.

It’s a big step up on Maserati’s first electrified vehicle, a mild hybrid version of the Ghibli sedan.

The looks of the MC20 EV will be very similar to the ICE versions. All three versions – ICE-powered coupe and spyder, EV – share the same basic carbon fibre chassis structure. There will be variations in the orientation and number of fibre layers to give each version sufficient stiffness in key areas. The battery-burdened EV, being heaviest, needs a much stronger chassis structure.

Combining Italian looks with advanced powertrain tech and supreme speed, the MC20 EV could easily become the most desirable version of them all…