- Confirmation of Aston Martin’s first all-electric model – new RapidE (above, below)
- RapidE developed with Williams Advanced Engineering
- Rapide AMR forms basis of RapidE
- Production set for 2019 with limited build run of 155
IF there was any further indication required that the business car you will be driving in the future will be electric, then it’s this: Aston Martin’s RapidE.
The first full electric Aston Martin.
That’s right, the Bull Dog brand has whipped out the sonorous V12 unit and installed one of … well, silence. It’s a battery.
Aston Martin has turned to the Formula 1 people at Williams Advanced Engineering to help with the engineering integration of the RapidE.
Williams Advanced Engineering was involved with the original RapidE Concept, unveiled in October 2015 outside Lancaster House in London.
Based upon the forthcoming Rapide AMR concept, RapidE provides four-door sports car looks and dynamics of the Rapide S powered by an all-electric powertrain. What’s certain, the instantaneous delivery characteristics of electric motors means the RapidE will offer a very different drive to the conventional Aston Martin. Not to say quieter.
While the new RapidE is set for a limited production run of 155 cars, it is Aston Martin’s first all-electric model and is at the forefront of the company’s low- and zero-emission vehicle strategy.
Aston Martin president and CEO, Dr Andy Palmer, said:
“RapidE represents a sustainable future in which Aston Martin’s values of seductive style and supreme performance don’t merely co-exist alongside a new zero-emission powertrain, but are enhanced by it.
“The internal combustion engine has been at the heart of Aston Martin for more than a century, and will continue to be for years to come. RapidE will showcase Aston Martin’s vision, desire and capability to successfully embrace radical change, delivering a new breed of car that stays true to our ethos and delights our customers.”
The original production plans for the electric RapidE have been reduced to a 155 production run after Chinese investor in the product LeEco pulled out, according to a story in Reuters, which also noted that the cost of the car would be just shy of £200,00.
The AMR brand of Aston Martin was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year to bring race inspired dynamism, technology and performance to the company’s road cars.