Aston Martin teases its Rapide E electric sedan
With development of Aston Martin’s first all-electric production car – the Rapide E – progressing apace, the luxury British marque has today confirmed a raft of technical details for the strictly limited 155-unit special edition.
Working closely with Williams Advanced Engineering (WAE) as its development partner, Aston Martin has utilised the hugely successful leader in Electric Vehicle (EV) technology to kickstart a new era for Aston Martin’s powertrain technology and overcome the technical challenges associated with packaging the battery system and motors within the space available.
Throughout the development process, the engineering team have focused on achieving effective cooling of the batteries and motor to ensure consistent performance, while strict weight targets have been stringently observed using lightweight alloys and carbon composite materials.
Rapide E will be powered by an 800V battery electrical architecture with 65kWh installed capacity using over 5600 lithium ion cylindrical cells. These are mounted in a bespoke battery pack where the original 6.0-litre V12, its gearbox and fuel tank were located. This battery system powers two rear mounted electric motors producing a combined target output of just over 610PS and a colossal 950Nm of torque.
Rapide E’s range target is over 200 miles under the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP), while the model is capable of charging at a rate of 1851,2 miles of range per hour using a typical 400V 50kW charger. However, the car’s 800V high-voltage battery system enables faster charging of 3101,2 miles of range per hour, using an 800V outlet delivering 100kW or higher.
Aston Martin Rapide E
? Aston Martin
The Rapide E is naturally being developed with a high-performance objective. Projected top speed for the Rapide E is 250 km/h, with a sub-4.0 second 0-100 km/h time.
It has also been an objective of the project to retain and enhance the feel, character and delivery of the V12-engined Rapide S.
Aston Martin doesn't advertise the price of the Rapide E, saying pricing is available once customers have applied. The company, however has previously said it would be priced around $255,000.
Customer deliveries are set for Q4 2019.
