Stellantis relaunches Lancia as all-electric marque, teases radical EV design
Italian automotive brand Lancia is experiencing a new renaissance in its 116 year history, and it involves going all electric. During a “Design Day” event today, the Stellantis subsidiary kicked off a ten year strategy that will introduce three bespoke Lancia EVs between 2024-2028. While it didn’t share any glimpse of its future EVs, Lancia did share an interesting looking automotive sculpture that encompasses the radical design we will see in all three of the future models. See more below.
Lancia was originally founded in Turin, Italy 1906 as Lancia & C. Fabbrica Automobili by Vincenzo Lancia and Claudio Fogolin. The automaker spent its first 60 years building combustion vehicles rich with innovation, including the first full-production V6 engine.
In 1969, Fiat purchased Lancia, but the marque lived on producing vehicles through the ’70s and ’80s, where it found a successful niche in rally car racing. When Fiat Auto became Fiat Group in 2007, Lancia again pivoted along with it before rebranding in 2011 to design new vehicles built by Chrysler. Under FCA in 2015, Lancia continued to sell just one model – the Ypsilon, which is currently only sold in Italy.
There was worry that the Lancia named would be wiped altogether when FCA morphed once again, this time into Stellantis in 2021. We’ve covered this umbrella company plenty since then, but have not heard anything about its plans for Lancia. Now, under its “Dare Forward 2030” electrification strategy, Stellantis has given Lancia new life as an EV-centric brand.
It’s flagship model isn’t scheduled to arrive for a couple years, but Lancia shared its new logo, and the unique design elements it will keep in mind when manufacturing its first-ever EVs.
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a… Lancia sculpture?
Executives and designers for the Italian marque kicked off their new era during a “Design Day” event, which included the sculpture you see above. No, it’s not an EV, but the driving design force that will (hopefully) inspire a few someday.
Lancia calls this sculpture the Pu+Ra Zero – a three-dimensional “manifesto” that encapsulates the “pure” and “radical” language of the three electric vehicles the Stellantis subsidiary intends to deliver every two years beginning in 2024. This journey will begin with an all-electric, redesigned version of the aforementioned Ypsilon, followed by a Delta EV. Per the release:
Lancia’s new Pu+Ra Design language creates a space with both pure and radical forms with a language not typical of the automotive industry and where the interiors of future Lancia vehicles will be perfectly consistent with the design of their exteriors. Once on board, the drivers and passengers will be embraced by the typical Lancia elegance, with interiors inspired by the icons of the past like the Gamma, Thema, and Flavia, which today have been enhanced by simple and intuitive technology in line with the brand DNA. The result is an authentic ‘living room atmosphere, providing a home feeling similar to the one experienced in a typical Italian home.
In addition to the Pu+Ra “art installation,” Lancia debuted its eighth logo, which, like the sculpture, is described as “Progressive Classic.” At its core, it is inspired by the 1957 logo that first debuted on the Flaminia, but it also revisits many of the brand elements of its century-plus long history. The lettering itself is entirely new, representing its renaissance into a new, all-electric era. Company CEO Luca Napolitano spoke during the event and shared his excitement for a new chapter in the Italian automaker’s history:
The new era of Lancia starts today with a new Logo and a clear design vision. In anticipation of the new Ypsilon, the first vehicle of the new Lancia, we are introducing Lancia Pu+Ra Zero, a sculpture, a three-dimensional manifesto which inspires the vehicles that will be launched between 2024 and 2028. A work of art in which the past and the future are in continuous contact, in which elegance is balanced with the radical spirit of forms. Today is the beginning of our Renaissance that will amaze Lancia fans all over the world. Lancia will once again be a desirable, respected, and reliable brand in the European premium market. Today is the beginning of the new Lancia!
Lastly, Lancia debuted a trailer for a three-part series documenting the rebirth of the Italian brand with episode one peeking behind the scenes leading up to today’s Design Day event. You can check out that trailer below, ahead of its premiere in January. It will be followed by a second episode in April 2023 and a final installment sometime in 2024, alongside the official launch of the all-electric Ypsilon.
Check back with Electrek soon for updates surrounding this reborn EV brand.
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Wind energy powered 20% of all electricity consumed in Europe (19% in the EU) in 2024, and the EU has set a goal to grow this share to 34% by 2030 and more than 50% by 2050.
To stay on track, the EU needs to install 30 GW of new wind farms annually, but it only managed 13 GW in 2024 – 11.4 GW onshore and 1.4 GW offshore. This is what’s holding the EU back from achieving its wind growth goals.
Three big problems holding Europe’s wind power back
Europe’s wind power growth is stalling for three key reasons:
Permitting delays. Many governments haven’t implemented the EU’s new permitting rules, making it harder for projects to move forward.
Grid connection bottlenecks. Over 500 GW(!) of potential wind capacity is stuck in grid connection queues.
Slow electrification. Europe’s economy isn’t electrifying fast enough to drive demand for more renewable energy.
Brussels-based trade association WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson summed it up: “The EU must urgently tackle all three problems. More wind means cheaper power, which means increased competitiveness.”
Permitting: Germany sets the standard
Permitting remains a massive roadblock, despite new EU rules aimed at streamlining the process. In fact, the situation worsened in 2024 in many countries. The bright spot? Germany. By embracing the EU’s permitting rules — with measures like binding deadlines and treating wind energy as a public interest priority — Germany approved a record 15 GW of new onshore wind in 2024. That’s seven times more than five years ago.
If other governments follow Germany’s lead, Europe could unlock the full potential of wind energy and bolster energy security.
Grid connections: a growing crisis
Access to the electricity grid is now the biggest obstacle to deploying wind energy. And it’s not just about long queues — Europe’s grid infrastructure isn’t expanding fast enough to keep up with demand. A glaring example is Germany’s 900-megawatt (MW) Borkum Riffgrund 3 offshore wind farm. The turbines are ready to go, but the grid connection won’t be in place until 2026.
This issue isn’t isolated. Governments need to accelerate grid expansion if they’re serious about meeting renewable energy targets.
Electrification: falling behind
Wind energy’s growth is also tied to how quickly Europe electrifies its economy. Right now, electricity accounts for just 23% of the EU’s total energy consumption. That needs to jump to 61% by 2050 to align with climate goals. However, electrification efforts in key sectors like transportation, heating, and industry are moving too slowly.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has tasked Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen with crafting an Electrification Action Plan. That can’t come soon enough.
More wind farms awarded, but challenges persist
On a positive note, governments across Europe awarded a record 37 GW of new wind capacity (29 GW in the EU) in 2024. But without faster permitting, better grid connections, and increased electrification, these awards won’t translate into the clean energy-producing wind farms Europe desperately needs.
Investments and corporate interest
Investments in wind energy totaled €31 billion in 2024, financing 19 GW of new capacity. While onshore wind investments remained strong at €24 billion, offshore wind funding saw a dip. Final investment decisions for offshore projects remain challenging due to slow permitting and grid delays.
Corporate consumers continue to show strong interest in wind energy. Half of all electricity contracted under Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) in 2024 was wind. Dedicated wind PPAs were 4 GW out of a total of 12 GW of renewable PPAs.
Read more: Renewables could meet almost half of global electricity demand by 2030 – IEA
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In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss the official unveiling of the new Tesla Model Y, Mazda 6e, Aptera solar car production-intent, and more.
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The Chinese EV leader is launching a new flagship electric sedan. BYD’s new Han L EV leaked in China on Friday, revealing a potential Tesla Model S Plaid challenger.
What we know about the BYD Han L EV so far
We knew it was coming soon after BYD teased the Han L on social media a few days ago. Now, we are learning more about what to expect.
BYD’s new electric sedan appeared in China’s latest Ministry of Industry and Information Tech (MIIT) filing, a catalog of new vehicles that will soon be sold.
The filing revealed four versions, including two EV and two PHEV models. The Han L EV will be available in single- and dual-motor configurations. With a peak power of 580 kW (777 hp), the single-motor model packs more power than expected.
BYD’s dual-motor Han L gains an additional 230 kW (308 hp) front-mounted motor. As CnEVPost pointed out, the vehicle’s back has a “2.7S” badge, which suggests a 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) sprint time of just 2.7 seconds.
To put that into perspective, the Tesla Model S Plaid can accelerate from 0 to 100 km in 2.1 seconds. In China, the Model S Plaid starts at RBM 814,900, or over $110,000. Speaking of Tesla, the EV leader just unveiled its highly anticipated Model Y “Juniper” refresh in China on Thursday. It starts at RMB 263,500 ($36,000).
BYD already sells the Han EV in China, starting at around RMB 200,000. However, the single front motor, with a peak power of 180 kW, is much less potent than the “L” model. The Han EV can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.9 seconds.
At 5,050 mm long, 1,960 mm wide, and 1,505 mm tall with a wheelbase of 2,970 mm, BYD’s new Han L is roughly the size of the Model Y (4,970 mm long, 1,964 mm wide, 1,445 mm tall, wheelbase of 2,960 mm).
Other than that it will use a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) pack from BYD’s FinDreams unit, no other battery specs were revealed. Check back soon for the full rundown.
Source: CnEVPost, China MIIT
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