With the automotive industry slowly embracing alternative fuel, it should come as no surprise that Pagani has slowly warmed to the idea of electrification. Autocar recently sat down with Horacio Pagani to discuss his plans for the future. The Italian company is one of a handful of successful small scale hypercar makers bringing the battle to larger rivals such as McLaren, Ferrari and Lamborghini.
The Italian firm has been a fierce proponent of the combustion engine. It used a Mercedes-sourced V12 right from the very beginning, and it listened to its customers when that V12 was discontinued, and sourced an equally impressive twin-turbocharged V12 when the original unit was discontinued. Like its Swedish rival, Koenigsegg, Pagani recognises that times change and that electrification is the way things are headed in the immediate future.
Cars like the McLaren P1, LeFerrari and Porsche 918 Spyder were the first stage. Horacio owns a Porsche 918 Spyder, which he loves, but explains that it only runs on full-electric mode for around 25 kg. He is concerned that, by the time the battery runs out, the additional 300 kg of battery weight that the car carries becomes useless dead weight.
For this reason, Horacio believes that a full electric drivetrain is the way forward. Pagani are said to be investigating a potential fully electric vehicle with a focus on lightweight power. Horacio explained that he had set his design team the task of investigation the option of having an EV model with a manual gearbox!
Horacio also explains that there will always be the option of a combustion engine within the model line-up. With development, Pagani seem to be focusing on weight reduction rather than pure firepower. Of course, Pagani’s technical relationship with Mercedes-AMG means that it should have good access to cutting edge technology.
