Miguel Sánchez
PHOTOGRAPHS GIULIA GT ELÉCTRICO: TOTEM AUTOMOBILI
As you know, it is often thought that electric cars are very current, but that is not true. Absolutely. As early as 1907, for example, Detroit Electric mass-produced small cars without a combustion engine. Relatively comfortable and with a decent autonomy for the time, although with barely rechargeable batteries. One load delivered, on average, about 129 miles at a stretch. And that's not to mention experimental models that came to exceed 300. It is true that the maximum speed was 32 km / h. But at the end of the day the Detroit Electrics were designed for urban transport.
As it was, the wind ran in favor of electricity. At least in the spurious world of ideas. And it is that, beyond cold technological rationality is the burning passion for money. A counterpoint to industrial design that has always, without exception, ended up shaping the future of the automotive industry. Because, although now we cannot understand the history of motorsport without the smell of gasoline, the truth is that this is nothing more than the result of an economic interest rather than a technological one.
Tests? Perhaps the best is to review movies like Wells of Ambition. There it is clear what the oil business was when in Texas the wells emerged as mills in La Mancha. Or articles about the compressed air motor like this… An invitation to think that, although now we cannot dissociate a sports car from its combustion sound, what is electric or powered by other technologies can also be very powerful. The latest creation of Totem Cars attests to it. And is that, although the electric may sound like the future ... In reality it is much more closely linked to the definition of motorsport than we might think.
GIULIA GT. THE ELECTRICAL INTERPRETATION OF TOTEM AUTOMOBILI
Before continuing to analyze this electric Giulia GT, we must point out two important points. The first is that It is a new tribute; in no case an electrification on original chassis. The second is that its author is not Alfa Romeo, but Totem Automobili. A small Italian artisan manufacturing company. A shame in a way. And it is that, even exposed to the fact that the comment can be misinterpreted against the manufacturer, the truth is that it would have reassured us enough that the signer was Alfa Romeo itself.
After all, uneasy rumors about his future have been running for months. All protected by the bad sales data of a brand that has experienced such an exciting revival for the "fansAs bland for accountants. However, let's put the worries aside to go straight to the enjoyment of this electric Giulia GT. Based on the proportions and size of the 1965 classic, those of Totem Automobili have started from a refined aluminum chassis on which the carbon fiber body of only 95 kilos is mounted.
Lightness at the service of a driving experience that is expected to be very exciting for two reasons. The first is a very good weight / power ratio since, although the total weight of this electric Giulia GT has not been said, its power is 525CV with a torque of 940Nm. Imagine that in a GTA from the sixties! The second is that all the batteries go on the floor of the car, located between the two axles. This makes the Giulia GT by Totem Automobili a limpet glued to the ground, with a very low center of gravity and a perfectly balanced weight distribution between the two axles.
ELEVEN SPEAKERS FOR ELECTRIC NOTHING SILENT
For many, Formula E racing sounds like a duel between washing machines. And it is normal, because after all they are decades used to the deafening roar on the circuits. In that sense, perhaps electric cars should not try to imitate combustion cars, but rather find and develop their own charms. It's kind of like the soy fillet thing. Assuming that comparisons are always hateful ... It would be better not to sell yourself as an imitation, but as something original and different. Whatever the immediate consequences.
However, since those of Totem Automobili want to make a tribute to the original with this electric Giulia GT, they have dared to incorporate sound. And beware, because the verb "to incorporate”We have not chosen it just because. After all, it is obvious that the sound of combustion engines is nothing like the fine hum of electric ones. Therefore, and so that this electric Giulia GT can roar, 11 speakers have been incorporated hidden by the exterior of the vehicle to reproduce a sound designed specifically for this car.
A creation you can hear in the Totem Automobili website and that, even with the reservations we have towards imposture and trompe l'oeil, it doesn't sound bad at all. A metallic roar typical of cylinders experiencing explosions when accelerating but with a certain aftertaste of electric hum. A really interesting addition, which rounds out this electric Giulia GT even more. A vehicle as interesting as it is exclusive, since a series of only 20 units is planned. A real toy that is already one of the most curious sports cars in this resurgence of electric motors.
