Turin, May 13 2021
Fulminea: the art of building “extreme” electric cars can now be experienced first-hand
Its character is encapsulated in its name: fast, powerful and electric, in a word, Fulminea. The hedonistic pleasure of sporty driving, cutting-edge technology, an obsession for details and respect for the environment: this is the full-electric road hypercar from Automobili Estrema, the company founded in 2020 by entrepreneur Gianfranco Pizzuto. A car featuring the most advanced technology in the field of energy storage and the fine craftsmanship in the construction of ultrahigh performance vehicles typical of the Motor Valley. A new excellence of Made in Italy, Made in Modena and Made in Turin, ready to enter the world of hypercars like a lightning bolt. Fulminea will be the first car in the world to use an innovative “hybrid” battery pack that combines innovative Li-ion cells with solid-state electrolyte and ultracapacitors, achieving 100 kWh of energy to power the four electric motors with a total power output of 1.5 MW (2,040 hp).
Research, cutting-edge technology, bold and functional solutions, and extreme customisation are the distinctive traits characterising the work carried out by the Automobili Estrema team, whose mission is to create a new Italian car brand to compete on the world stage of electric supercars and hypercars. The Fulminea marks the beginning of a new generation of electric cars: a car that has all the characteristics of a racing car, i.e. high performances, cutting-edge technology and premium materials such as latest-generation carbon fibre, but with the exception that instead of a combustion engine it features a full-electric powertrain with innovative solutions, a world first. The Fulminea is capable of delivering 1.5 MW of power, equal to 2,040 hp, and contains two important technological innovations: it is the first car in the world to use a “hybrid” battery pack that uses solid state cells produced by ABEE (Avesta Battery Energy Engineering) and ultra-capacitors, elements that provide the energy boost needed to unleash the power of the four electric motors. The battery pack is designed and produced in collaboration with IMECAR Elektronik. The power is distributed to the wheels by 4 electric motors that allow the Fulminea to accelerate from 0 to 320 km/h in less than 10 seconds. The battery pack has a capacity of 100 kWh with an expected range – according to the WLTP cycle – of 520 km. Thanks to the use of prismatic solid-state cells, the hybrid battery can make use of cell-to-pack technology, achieving a record energy density of 500 Wh/kg, equivalent to 1.2 kWh/l, with a battery weight of just 300 kg and a total weight in running order of 1,500 kg. In addition, thanks to collaboration with Electra Vehicle, the BMS (Battery Management System) is supported by a software called “EVE-Ai” which constantly and actively optimises the power demand between the two energy systems to maximise the efficiency and performance of the car by customising the control strategy according to the operating environment, battery conditions and driving style.
These are the key words that identify Fulminea: extreme style, innovative design and refined details; maximum energy efficiency while respecting the environment; extreme experience in driving a superfast electric car.
The aim of Automobili Estrema, a careful observer of the world of electric cars and a forerunner of innovative technologies, is to make Fulminea the fastest technology lab on wheels in the world.
The new hypercar – made in Modena, in the Motor Valley – will hit the market in the second half of 2023.
The essence of Automobili Estrema’s style
The philosophy of Automobili Estrema is based on four main concepts: romance, elegance, purity and balance.
Romance stands for a feeling of excitement and mystery associated with creation. Elegance refers to the quality of having a graceful appearance and manners, as stated by the classic and timeless Italian style. Purity means getting rid of frills in order to achieve an essential, clean and functional design. Balance is the ability to combine different elements in the right proportion.
In a top-notch performance model like the Fulminea, elegance is the key quality making the car sinuous and graceful. A return to basics with an eye turned on the future: ancient rules leading to new style solutions in which all the elements are combined to create a harmonious balance.
Automobili Estrema’s design philosophy is embodied in a car associating a beautifully sculpted bodywork to fittings and elements typical of the racing world: the racing set-up, the carbon aerodynamic elements, the rear mobile wing that integrates into the bodywork when the car is stationary, the lateral sills, the rear extractor, the carbon wheel cover discs, the shark fin and the various air intakes.
Design: new frontiers of style
The Fulminea stands out for its unique and bold looks: its silhouette is extremely aerodynamic, streamlined and compact. The soft, rounded surface is reminiscent of the classic cars of the 1960s and matches perfectly with the carbon-fibre trims giving it a more angular and aggressive look typical of modern racing cars. On the front, the wedge-shaped profile faces the ground and then gradually lifts up towards the mudguards, forming a soft teardrop shape, while the rear is sharply well-defined. Great attention has been paid to proportions and volumes, calibrating with the utmost precision the mass distribution on the whole car. The side view is dominated by lines and volumes resulting from both the front and the rear wings, crossing centrally and thus echoing the silhouette of a lightning bolt, the carmaker’s signature.
The Fulminea stands out for its decisive and feminine attitude: the front wings gently widen up, then narrow backwards along the cockpit, only to widen up again at the rear wings, in a play of perfectly alternating shapes, reminiscent of a woman’s elegant, sinuous and attractive hourglass silhouette.
The lightness of the volumes was inspired by the fastest creatures on the planet: the profile of the peregrine falcon for its long, slender tail; the silhouette of the running cheetah, not only for the power of its rear muscles but also for the width of its ribcage, the hollow of its flanks, its stretchy legs, the sinuosity of its tail perfectly balanced even when moving; the sailfish for the forked, slender shape of its tail and the slenderness of its vertical fins, and finally the iconic shape of the shark fin positioned at the rear centre.
The cockpit was designed to maximise the aerodynamics, enhancing the air flow along the entire car profile. The ‘butterfly’ doors have a wide opening angle for easy access.
The Automobili Estrema logo
The emblem of Automobili Estrema is a blue shield and is a clear reference to the historical tradition of the iconic coats of arms of the past, revisited in a contemporary way. Inside the shield there is a lightning bolt, symbol of electricity, speed and clean energy, which is piercing through it, showing all its power. The background is in light blue with a carbon fibre weave to give it a modern and technological touch, while the lightning bolt proudly bears the colours of the Italian flag. The Fulminea logo, made of polished steel, is in italics as reference to the writing stroke speed.
Unique details: sensory experiences
The colour of the Fulminea body is called “Azzurro Savoia”, it is the signature colour of Automobili Estrema, a shiny iridescent shade inspired by the marvellous hues of azurite crystals that matches perfectly with the dark texture of the carbon fibre, emphasising its agile and elusive lines.
The car is characterised by unique, stylish and functional elements such as the front light clusters, developed around the graphic sign of the lightning bolt, a stylistic element that is the basis of the Automobili Estrema philosophy, integrating mixed LED / Laser technology headlights with top lighting performance.
Also, the solutions developed for the rear of the car are equally innovative, such as the third brake light sunken into the transparent shark fin-shaped detail and the rear headlight fins made by EST-Mobile of Turin.
Until now, no car manufacturer in the world has used highly transparent recycled methacrylate panels with RGB LED lights to create, through an optic fibre-like light trail effect, a unique and attractive design for the rear light clusters, combined with a precise aerodynamic function. Automobili Estrema in cooperation with its technical partner EST-Mobile developed a special high-tech know-how in order to bend the material correctly without damaging it and to position the LED lights in such a way as to conceal the light source and let the glow “magically” appear along the edges of the light cluster, which thanks to its transparency looks like a crystal.
Rear-view mirrors have been replaced by integrated cameras located on both outer sides of the mudguards: anything standing in the visual field out of the cockpit is displayed inside the car. The elegant and pure car design is preserved because the cameras rotate only during driving and parking operations.
The handles have been integrated into the structure of the Fulminea: the vehicle can be opened and closed through an innovative and invisible touch system, known only by the car owner, thus ensuring the highest level of security.
Aerodynamics: harmony between beauty and pure speed
Aerodynamics, as with any electric car, is of the utmost importance, especially at high speeds. The Fulminea has been designed to achieve the best aerodynamic efficiency through detailed aerodynamic CFD testing to check the most important features of an extreme performance car.
The design has been optimised to ensure high performances through the adoption of active aerodynamic elements such as the front air intake and the S-Duct variable flow conveyor, and the retractable rear wing that varies in position and incidence according to the speed and driving style set by the driver. These elements make it possible to optimise drag, downforce on both axles and other parameters according to speed and type of use.
Every single detail has been conceived with a specific aerodynamic function, but also with a great attention to design. The aim was to create functional elements that combine form and function in an innovative and highly distinctive way, such as the air intakes.
The first air intake is located under the front bonnet, whose profile creates downforce for the front axle. Continuing towards the sides of the body there are the exhaust vents in the front wheel arches, which let the hot air generated during braking go out and flow along the front mudguard.
Similarly, the air intakes behind the rear wing leave enough space to get a glimpse of the tyres. On the rear there are additional air intakes that channel and cool the hot air coming from the batteries, the radiator and the electronic components.
Hybrid battery technology: efficiency, performance and a silent drive
The Fulminea boasts an outstanding value in the hypercar segment. In fact, it is not just an electric vehicle, but incorporates the most sophisticated technology the automotive industry has to offer today, in an extremely competitive and rapidly expanding market. This has been achieved thanks to a number of high-tech solutions, including the “hybrid” battery pack technology that combines ultracapacitors with solid-state Li-ion cells in a single high-performance super-battery.
The ultracapacitors used by Automobili Estrema have the highest specific power on the market, and perfectly match with the solid-state Li-ion cells, produced by our partner ABEE GROUP, with an unparalleled energy density of 500 Wh/kg or 1.2 kWh/l which represents an increase of between 50% and 100% compared to current battery technology.
In addition to the extremely high energy density, the hybrid battery pack, produced in cooperation with IMECAR Elektronik, is also extremely safe as the solid state electrolyte is non-flammable.
The two different types of cells are housed in separate high-strength battery packs with carbon fibre shells. The ultracapacitors are positioned on the front axle while the larger battery pack, containing solid-state Li-ion cells assembled using cell-to-pack technology, is positioned behind the cockpit, before the rear axle for perfect weight and centre of gravity distribution.
Thanks to the high energy density of the Li-ion cells with solid electrolyte produced by our partner ABEE GROUP, the total weight of the “hybrid battery” has been kept within 300 kg. This is the best weight/energy ratio in the entire automotive industry.
The battery has a BMS (Battery Management System) which is supported by innovative software with A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) and M.L. (Machine Learning), a technology derived from NASA for the optimisation of energy control, to maximise the performance of one or more chemicals used in an electric vehicle battery pack. This solution has been named ‘EVE-Ai’, and corresponds to an intelligent and adaptive brain for batteries that helps to increase the range, lifetime, control and safety of the batteries themselves.
Commercial launch: estimated in Q3 of 2023
Selling price: 1.961.000 Euros
Initial production: 61 cars
Engine
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Power – 1.5 MW (2,040 hp)
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AWD – Torque Vectoring
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Weight – 1,500 kg (3,300 lb)
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0 – 320 km/h (200 mph) < 10s
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Battery capacity > 100 kWh
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HPC DC Charge 10% – 80% < 15 min
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Battery runtime (WLTP) < 520 km (325 mi)
Fulminea sizes:
Length: 4.683 mm
Width: 2.052 mm
Height: 1.148 mm
Main equipment:
Pirelli tyres
OZ Racing rims
Automobili Estrema
“We learned the rules of professionals, so we can break them like dreamers”
Founded in 2020 by Gianfranco Pizzuto, Automobili Estrema is a brand-new niche car manufacturer, specialising in high performance hypercars and electric supercars. A “brand of excellence” in the automotive industry, specialising in the design and production of exclusive hypercars in limited series. In today’s highly competitive electric vehicle market, the new manufacturer’s goal is to make its way in the high-tech sector applied to electric mobility, and it has begun to do so by presenting its first 100% electric road hypercar featuring the latest technologies and extremely lightweight composite materials.
International partnerships: crossing barriers and discover new horizons
Constant change, challenging one’s limits and overcoming boundaries is what it takes to tackle an innovative project like the one undertaken by Automobili Estrema. A closely-knit team, made up of strong and valuable partnerships, is essential. Fulminea was born in Italy, between Modena and Turin. All the engineering and assembly phases are carried out in the heart of the Motor Valley, while the styling and modelling of the hypercar is carried out in the Turin area thanks to the collaboration with the EPTA Design studio and UCIF Modelli, and the creation of the lighting clusters with EST Mobile. As far as technology is concerned, Automobili Estrema crossed the Italian borders and found two partners of excellence: ABEE (Avesta Battery Energy Engineering), a Belgium based engineering company specialised in energy technologies for automotive and stationary applications, and IMECAR Elektronik, an engineering and production company based in Antalya (Turkey) and specialised in vehicle electrification and the production of battery packs and powertrain components. The Fulminea will have Pirelli tyres thanks to the experience and leadership that the Italian tyre company has acquired in electric-powered cars.
ESTREMA-Abee Technologies
The launch of Fulminea is not the only big news from Automobili Estrema. On March 1st, 2021 Automobili Estrema and ABEE Group signed a merger agreement to support a global project aimed at producing state-of-the-art battery cells and high-performance electric vehicles. The expertise of ABEE, founded in 2019 by Prof. Noshin Omar, includes battery system design, validation and feasibility analysis related to the production of next-generation Li-ion cells with solid-state electrolyte. The newly formed holding company has been named ESTREMA-Abee Technologies. The joint activities of this brand-new company will focus on the production of cutting-edge products in the field of high-performance low-volume electric vehicles and, with proprietary technology, the production of cells for latest-generation batteries as well as “hybrid” battery pack systems with “cell-to-pack” technology, the system featured by Fulminea. This revolutionary technology relies on ABEE-manufactured Li-ion solid state cells and capacitors, achieving an unprecedented energy density of 500 Wh/kg (1,200 Wh/l). Estrema-ABEE Technologies will enable the two merged companies, Automobili Estrema and ABEE, to compete internationally in the energy and automotive technology sector, focusing on next-generation battery technologies and zero-emission mobility. To this purpose, a new logo has been created, derived from the one of Automobili Estrema: a green shield representing environmentally sustainable technologies crossed by a blue lightning bolt representing electricity produced from renewable sources. The aim of the holding company is to create the first Italian Giga Factory manufacturing solid state cells: ESTREMA-Abee Technologies wants to combine the know-how and skills of Automobili Estrema with the expertise of its technological partners (IMECAR Elektronik and ABEE Group) to generate a premium HUB specialised in the design, engineering, production and development of cutting-edge hybrid battery technologies, not exclusively aimed at automotive applications.
The Team
Gianfranco Pizzuto, CEO
An industry veteran with over 30 years of experience in international business. In 2007 he was the first investor and co-founder of Fisker Automotive. His role was crucial for the development of a sales and after-sales network in Europe with 30 dealers.
Roberto Olivo, COO
An automotive executive with over 35 years of international automotive experience, he has held various leadership roles for brands such as Fiat, Lancia and Alfa Romeo, as well as for several major component manufacturers.
Mark Lander, CTO
The founder of IMECAR, an engineering and manufacturing company based in Antalya, Turkey, specialising in vehicle electrification and the production of battery packs and powertrain components.
Jannik Voss Brogaard, VP Sales & Marketing
With 23 years of experience in the automotive industry in Denmark and Europe, he has worked in the luxury and non-luxury segments for importers and has significant experience in launching new car brands and product lines.
Alexander Klatt, CCO
An award-winning automotive designer and senior design executive with over 25 years of international professional experience with major Fortune Global 500 companies (Daimler / Mercedes Benz and BMW Group), design consulting companies, colleges of design and leading technology start-ups.
Gerry Hughes, Director of Engineering
With over 25 years’ experience in high performance vehicle engineering across all major motorsport leagues, he joins Automobili Estrema from NIO, where he was one of the founding members of the UK-based high performance vehicle engineering division.
Paul Fickers, Director of Performance Integration & Validation
An engineering manager who has experienced every aspect of the automotive business from a cross-cutting perspective. His diverse engineering experience, covering a wide spectrum of vehicles ranging from 40-tonne trucks to Formula E cars, has given him an exemplary set of skills.
The technical Partners
IMECAR Elektronik – Battery integration and powertrain components
ABEE Group – Solid state cell batteries
EPTA Design – Interior and exterior design
ELEKTRA VEHICLES – Intelligent algorithms for battery pack management
TETRA Engineering – Aerodynamic CFD testing
EST-Mobile – Lighting clusters
UCIF – Modelling
PIRELLI – Tyres
OZ RACING – Alloy rims
