Pininfarina PFO Electric Hypercar Could Challenge Tesla Roadster With 250 MPH Top Speed
The Pininfarina PFO won’t be out for another two years or so, but the company is slowly but surely offering more details on its upcoming electric hypercar, just as it has been doing since the vehicle was first teased earlier this year. As it seems, the PFO appears to have its sights set on Tesla and its next-generation Roadster, with its sleek design and its impressive top speed and estimated zero-to-60 time.
For the past nine decades or so, Pininfarina mainly existed as a design house, with the Italian company frequently connected to Ferrari and some of the automaker’s more iconic supercars. According to The Verge, Automobili Pininfarina, which makes the PFO, is a relatively new spinoff company, and is unusual among other sports car manufacturers, as it is focusing on a purely electrified lineup of vehicles, with the PFO leading the way once it gets released in 2020.
Speaking to The Verge, Automobili Pininfarina CEO Michael Perschke explained that the PFO will do much more than just reach a top speed of 250 miles per hour. Aside from that blazing top speed, the PFO will reportedly be capable of going from zero to 60 miles per hour in less than two seconds and will have a solid 300-mile range on a single charge. Perschke added that the car’s battery might take about 10 to 15 minutes to charge up to 80 percent.
On Thursday, Automobil Pininfarina, a spinoff of the 90-year-old design house, unveiled teaser images of the PFO, its planned first-ever production car, a 250 mph battery powered hyper car. https://t.co/6LcrniMiQo
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In comparison, the next-generation Tesla Roadster, which was announced late last year, is expected to have a top speed of over 250 miles per hour and a quarter-mile time of only 8.8 seconds. Car and Driver cited Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk, who said last year that the Roadster would go from zero to 60 mph in 1.9 seconds and from zero to 100 mph in 4.2 seconds, with those figures pertaining to the “base model.” At that time, Musk was cagey when it came to the car’s available trims, as he chose not to hint at such information when he revealed the new Roadster, which, like the Pininfarina PFO, is expected in showrooms in 2020.
Aside from details on the car’s estimated top speed and zero-to-60 time, Pininfarina also shared teaser images of the electric two-seat hypercar, which appear to hint at a sleek, stylish design with dramatic lines and an imposing front end. According to Engadget, the car’s battery will be located in a “central tunnel,” which would set it apart from Tesla and other electric vehicle makers, who place the batteries of their cars on the floor. The publication added that Pininfarina will also be using environmentally safe materials when it manufactures the PFO, such as natural wood, chemical-free paints, and other materials it described as “ethically sourced.”
The Pininfarina PFO, as expected, won’t come cheap, as Engadget noted that the car might carry a price tag of about $2 million to $2.5 million, which would put it in a similar price range as the Bugatti Chiron, which is slightly more expensive at a base price of $3 million. The PFO will be making its first public appearance next month at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, and will also be announced in March 2019 at the Geneva Motor Show.
