European hypercar manufacturer Automobili Pininfarina has made its official invasion into the United States. Sure, the boutique automaker already has retail partners in place on US soil and continues to expand that footprint, but it will soon deliver the very first two all-electric Battista hyper GTs to US customers. Better yet, one of them is the first of only five Battista Anniversario EVs being made.
Automobili Pininfarina GmbH is a Munich-based subsidiary of Mahindra & Mahindra, who purchased the Italian car design firm Pininfarina SpA in 2015. The automaker’s Italian roots come from the original Pininfarina, which was founded in 1930 by Battista “Pinin” Farina.
The refreshed subsidiary’s first EV, the Battista hyper GT, is named after its predecessor’s original founder and initially debuted as a concept EV at Monterey Car Week 2018. That luxury hyper GT was followed by the announcement of an even more exclusive version of the Battista called the Anniversario. It features handcrafted components like its paint job, and its makers have promised a limited production of only five vehicles – each already sold for an estimated $2.9 million each.
Automobili Pininfarina originally promised the Battista would arrive in 2020, but following delays, the hypercar developer unveiled a production-ready version at Monterey Car Week in the summer of 2021. Since that debut, Automobili Pininfarina has been expanding its retail presence in North America while simultaneously ramping up Battista hyper GT production overseas.
With the handcrafted hypercars rolling off the assembly lines at the automaker’s recently opened Atelier engineering and development hub in Cambiano, Italy, Automobili Pininfarina has begun the delivery process to customers in the US.
According to a press release from Automobili Pininfarina, the first two bespoke Battista hyper GTs will be leaving Italy this month for delivery to its first US customers. The first hyper GT will make its way to a private collector on the West Coast. The second Battista to leave the Atelier this month will be the first of only five exclusive Battista Anniversario cars made. Where in the US it’s headed however, remains private. Here are some of the EV’s performance specs:
0 -100 km/h (0-62 mph) in under two seconds
1,900 horsepower
2,360 Nm of torque
120 kWh battery powers four electric motors
WLTP range up to 476 km (EPA range of 300 miles)
In addition to the two luxury EVs arriving, the automaker shared news of a tenth retail location in North America, adding a new space in Dallas, Texas. With the start of deliveries and retail partners in place, Automobili Pininfarina hopes to become a known boutique EV brand in the US and beyond. Company CEO Per Svantesson spoke:
The team and I are very proud of Automobili Pininfarina’s expansion in the U.S. and the delivery of the first Battista cars stateside. This symbolizes our creation of a new luxury electric car segment both in the US and globally. With a passionate collector receiving the first Battista in North America, we see tremendous confidence in this masterpiece of design and technology in this influential community. North America is a very special region for Automobili Pininfarina. The appetite in the community for peerless design and the demand for innovative electric luxury cars means that the majority of the 150 bespoke Battista we handcraft in Italy will be owned by US clients.
The first series production version of the Battista hyper GT will be on display in New York state later this month, while Automobili Pininfarina continues to handcraft all 150 of the predetermined series EVs. If you were the one of the US customers and are reading this, message me. I won’t share your identity, I just want a ride along!
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Leading electric vehicle analyst, author, and industry thought leaders Loren McDonald and Bill Ferro stop by Quick Charge to discuss EV Adoption’s acquisition by Paren, the “crisis” of EV charging reliability, and the real state of the EV market.
Depending on who you listen, EVs are either driving brands to record growth and are about cross that critical 10% of the overall market nationwide, or the future is bleak, the market is down, and EVs just aren’t selling. What’s really going on? Loren and Bill (probably) have some answers.
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Chevy EV owners in Texas who have Reliant as their electric utility can now charge for free at night with renewable energy.
Over 150 Chevrolet dealerships across Texas are now offering the Reliant Free Charge Nights plan to new EV buyers. With Free Charge Nights, customers can offset their charging costs by receiving credits for electricity used between 11 pm and 6 am. The plan is powered entirely by renewable energy, thanks to the purchase of renewable energy certificates (RECs).
Rasesh Patel, president of NRG Consumer, says the plan is about making power personal: “We’re excited to help Chevrolet EV drivers offset the cost of charging their vehicle all while having access to a renewable electricity plan.”
This collaboration aims to make EV adoption more appealing by making charging cheaper and greener. GM Energy’s chief revenue officer, Aseem Kapur, emphasized that partnerships like this help build the ecosystem needed to support an all-electric future: “The Reliant Free Charge Nights plan is a great example of how an automaker and an energy company can work together to make EV adoption an easy decision.”
Existing Reliant customers can also sign up for the Free Charge Nights plan. To get started, Chevrolet EV owners need to designate their vehicle on the GM Energy Smart Charging Portal before enrolling in the plan.
Reliant Energy, a subsidiary of NRG Energy, serves over 1.5 million customers in Texas, making it one of the largest electricity providers in the state.
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Texas is about to get a major power boost – a new AI-powered virtual power plant (VPP) delivering capacity equivalent to 200,000 homes during peak demand.
NRG Energy is teaming up with Renew Home to bring nearly 1 gigawatt (GW) of capacity to the Texas grid by 2035, aiming to make it more resilient while helping residents save on energy costs.
The new VPP will rely on hundreds of thousands of smart thermostats and other connected home devices, making use of AI technology provided by Google Cloud. These devices, like Vivint and Nest smart thermostats, will be offered to eligible customers at no cost. By automating HVAC adjustments, they help shift energy use to when electricity is cheaper, cleaner, and less strained.
NRG and Renew Home have big plans for the VPP. Starting in spring 2025, the companies plan to roll out the program across Texas, installing these smart thermostats in homes served by NRG’s retail electricity providers. Eventually, they plan to add home battery storage and EVs to expand the power plant’s capabilities.
Texas has faced record-breaking energy demands, with peak usage hitting 85 GW in 2023. As the state’s population grows and extreme weather becomes more frequent, VPPs like this one could play a key role in stabilizing the grid. VPPs aggregate a lot of small-scale energy resources, from smart thermostats to home batteries, and use them to help balance supply and demand during times of high stress on the grid.
This nearly 1 GW VPP will be one of the largest of its kind in Texas. NRG’s president of consumer operations, Rasesh Patel, calls it a “pivotal step” for improving customer experience while making Texas’ energy infrastructure more sustainable and resilient.
In addition to Renew Home, NRG is working with Google Cloud to maximize the power plant’s effectiveness. Google Cloud’s AI and analytics tools will help predict weather conditions, forecast renewable generation, and optimize energy usage, all of which will help make energy management smoother for both customers and the grid.
Ben Brown, CEO of Renew Home, said:
NRG’s commitment to creating a more resilient and sustainable energy future while also making electricity bills more affordable makes them an ideal partner for co-developing this unique VPP program.
This initiative raises the bar for future-proofing our electricity infrastructure and delivering cost savings to customers.
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