Aston Martin has released preliminary information of its upcoming all-electric model, which will be called the Rapide E. Set to be the brand’s first battery electric vehicle (BEV), the Rapide E will be built in limited numbers (only 155 units), with first customer deliveries scheduled to take place in the fourth quarter of next year.
Based on the existing Rapide sedan, the Rapide E has been developed by AM together with its technical partner, Williams Advanced Engineering. What they’ve done is remove the original 5.9 litre naturally-aspirated V12, eight-speed automatic gearbox and fuel tank to make room for a battery pack containing 5,600 lithium-ion 18650 format cylindrical cells.
The cells have a total energy capacity of 65 kWh and power two electric motors (from Integral Powertrain Technologies) mounted in the rear on an 800 volt electrical system. The combined output from the motors, according to Aston Martin, is just over 610 PS and 950 Nm of torque, which is significantly more than the petrol-powered version.
Projected top speed for the Rapide E is 249 km/h, with acceleration times of below four seconds in the 0-96 km/h (0-60 mph) sprint, and 1.5 seconds from 80-113 km/h (50-70 mph). The company explicitly states that the car will be able to deliver these figures throughout the majority of the battery state of charge and not just when it is fully charged, claiming you can lap the Nürburgring with absolutely no derating of the vehicle’s battery.
Following the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP), the EV is claimed to have a range of around 322 km. A DC/DC converter facilitates fast charging, allowing owners to regain 499 km of range per hour when plugged into an 800 volt outlet delivering 100 kW or higher. With a typical 400 volt, 50 kW charger, the charge rate gains about 298 km of range in an hour.
Visual changes are a definite, with many of them done in the interest of cooling the electric powertrain and optimising aerodynamics. The latter includes new wheels that are being teased here, wrapped with low rolling-resistance Pirelli P Zero tyres featuring noise-cancelling foam. There’s also ample use of lightweight alloys and carbon composite materials to offset the weight gained.
Despite its green credentials, Aston Martin made it an objective to “retain and enhance the feel, character and delivery of the V12-engined Rapide S.” As a result, careful tuning of the electric powertrain and chassis was performed, the electric motors will drive through an Xtrac limited-slip differential and the suspension setup has been revised.
The Rapide E will be built at the company’s St Athan plant in South Wales, which is also where the marque’s first SUV will be made. The company is currently accepting expressions of interest via its global dealership network, with pricing available on application. For now, this is all the early details provided by Aston Martin, which could be subject to change later on.
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