Pagani to hold fire on EV plans

Rumours had it that the marque’s next-generation car, the to-be-named C10, was going to be offered with an all-electric powertrain option part way through its model cycle. Now, as revealed in a conversation with Autocar, plans for such a version aren’t going ahead.

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For the past four years there’s been a small team within Pagani looking into the possibility of an all-electric model, with its conclusions informing this decision. A very real issue with the technology as it is today is weight, with the marque claiming an electric Pagani would need a 600kg battery to deliver on performance and range targets. Certain realities were referenced too – the comparatively tiny impact of such a low-volume marque staying with internal combustion, the environmental toll taken in the current production of EVs, and indeed the still heavily non-renewable nature of a lot of current electricity generation.

There were also concerns over how such a model would be imbued with the emotional value Pagani customers expect of its cars, for which its lusty Mercedes-AMG-sourced V12 engines have been integral in the past.

A spokesperson from the brand did latterly clarify that research is ongoing regarding future powertrains, but that it’s a case of as and when, given customer demand and the advancement of the technology. When its buyers want EVs and when an EV Pagani can be as lightweight and exciting as its petrol-powered forebears, Horacio will pull the trigger. Until then, may the hills (and our Hill) continue to ring alive with the sound of Pagani V12s.