So much power, so much range, so much skepticism.
Aston Martin, the respected British sports car marque, is not a company that has traditionally been boastful in its press releases and official communications. Where other companies will not hesitate to claim they’ve ‘redefined,’ ‘reinvented,’ or ‘reimagined’ some aspect of our lives or the motorcar with every new model & concept, Aston Martin’s conducted itself with oddly-typical British restraint and generally stayed away from that sort of superlative language. Bar the Lagonda concept (which was pretty out-of-this-world), Aston’s always had a stiff upper lip and abided by it.
But the latest releases surrounding the upcoming limited-run Rapide-E electric luxury saloon are surprisingly optimistic about the model’s capability. With Aston’s history of walking the talk, we can’t help but wonder if they might be overreaching a bit with the new Rapide-E’s purported numbers, or if they’ve seemingly achieved the unimaginable. Let us explain.
*Powertrain layout of 2019 Aston Martin Rapide-E
The Rapide-E is the product of cooperations between Aston Martin and Williams Advanced Engineering, with the former company taking full advantage of the latter’s position as a leader in EV technology innovations to “kickstart a new era” for Aston’s powertrain developments, allowing the long-standing British company to continue to produce cars for tomorrow that keep to the very tenets of the brand that were established when it first came about back in 1913.
Among those tenets are strict allowances for packaging and weight, while also adhering to more modern demands of powertrain cooling. Very strict targets were set for each of those aspects, and the hard work put together by the collaborative team have (seemingly) paid off, if Aston’s word is to be taken as gospel. A 65Wh battery comprising of 5600 lithium-ion cells have been mounted in a bespoke package that fits perfectly where other Rapides would have a 6.0-litre V12, and sends its power to two electric motors at the rear producing 540kW and 950Nm.
*2015 Aston Martin RapidE Concept
The Rapide-E can hit 100km/h in less than 4-seconds they say, and will have a restricted top speed of 200km/h. Perhaps more importantly, Aston says that the full performance capabilities of the Rapide-E will be accessible all the time, and won’t be limited to when very specific conditions and requirements are met (like most other EVs), as to greater mimic the potency of an internal-combustion vehicle. However, despite all that performance the Rapide-E will also be a very usable luxury car, with a maximum range of 320km reported on a single charge.
Usually range comes at the deficit of performance, or vice-versa. The purported powertrain capabilities are the source of our skepticism.
What we can (and will) believe is the Rapide-E’s ablate to rapid-charge. Aston says that the car should be able to charge at a rate of just under 300km/hour on a “typical” 50kW car charger. However, the Rapide-E will also be able to use a rapide-charger (not sorry) of 100kW or higher still, which will replenish the batteries at rates of up to 480km/hour. What we’d like to know is how that level of fast-charging will degrade the battery over time, and how Aston Martin reckons real-world users will most likely use their high-tech luxury cars.
*Battery pack from 2015 Aston Martin RapidE Concept
Aston seems to be quite confident about the Rapide-E’s powertrain abilities, talking about all of it in a manner-of-fact kinda way. What they say they’re still working on is the driving dynamics. “Careful attention” they say will be paid to ensure that the Rapide-E and its rear-drive chassis will continue to offer the same kind of agility and dynamism that the traditional Aston Martin customer expects; Further, actual Rapide-E customers will be consulted throughout the development process to integrate their feedback to ensure that the Rapide-E feels every bit the Aston Martin it resembles.
“Environmental responsibility and sustainability is a global challenge faced by us all. As our first all-electric production model, Rapide E will fast-track our knowledge and help us ensure the character and high-performance capabilities of our future EV models and enhance the unique qualities found in all Aston Martins as we know them today.” — Andy Palmer, CEO, Aston Martin
*2015 Aston Martin RapidE Concept
The Aston Martin Rapide-E will be limited to a 155-unit run, and cars will be offered for sale at select Aston Martin dealerships worldwide, where they’ve already begun taking orders for it. The Rapide-E will be built at Aston’s new facilities at St. Athan, which the company calls their ‘Home of Electrification,’ and will eventually house the production lines for both electrified Aston Martin models as well as fully-electric products by Lagonda. Rapide-E deliveries are scheduled for the tail-end of 2019.
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