Pininfarina Battista Says Driving London With 1,900 HP Is No Problem

The Pininfarina electric hypercar call called the Battista, in honor of its founder, is about to show how you can own a 1,900 hp vehicle in London, drive every day, legally, in ultra low emission zones.

London is one of the early cities to wage a war against automotive pollution. Today, traffic is highly limited and only electric vehicles (EV) can go about as of nothing mattered. So, it may be hard to believe something as wild as a 1,900 hp Battista Pininfarina is London road legal, but then again, it is electric.

The new electric hypercar offering coincides closely with London’s debut of its Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ). Convenient.

The Pininfarina Battista, after its global reveal at the recent Geneva International Motor Show, is the most powerful EV designed and built in Italy goes into production next year. The first deliveries are due late 2020, just in time (a few months before) the ULEZ extends to the Greater London in 2021.

Basically, a few fortunate owners will have a powerful EV that can go 300 miles, excellent for a London to Paris stint, and also excellent for a sprint from 0 to 60 mph in less than 2 seconds. By the way, this is faster than a Formula 1 car. And the car can drive anywhere since it has no emissions. The Battista is the way to move around an ultra low zero emissions zone.

According to Michael Perschke, CEO of Automobili Pininfarina:

“The Battista is a truly beautiful, guilt-free hypercar – the first EV to really fall in love with – because electricity enables us to develop it with zero emissions and as the most powerful car that will have ever been designed and built in Italy.

“As London joins many cities in moving towards a more sustainable future, we hope that the Battista also inspires a generation to consider electric cars, not just through the benefits of zero emissions, but also through the beauty and the performance that electrification offers.”

All images above via Automobili Pininfarina

Pininfarina Battista — Pininfarina in the 2020s

The USA’s best selling luxury car in 2018 was an EV. Norway’s best-selling car in 2018 was an EV. In March, and EV (the Tesla Model 3) was the top selling car of any type in the Netherlands, Norway, and Switzerland. The Pininfarina Battista is not such a mass market car, but it is an exciting one. This unique EV will be designed and handcrafted under contract by Pininfarina SpA in Cambiano, Italy.

Automobili Pininfarina says it will continue to offer a range of luxury EVs after 2020, starting with the Battista. How the times have changed.

Image by LaPresse