Made in Wales: Aston Martin’s first all-electric car revealed

Aston Martin has revealed its first production-ready all-electric car – the Rapide E – at China’s Auto Shanghai motor show.

Unveiled by Aston Martin executive vice president & chief creative officer, Marek Reichman, Rapide E is a pivotal model for the luxury car maker. The Rapide E follows the success of previous special-edition models, including Aston Martin Vulcan, the Vanquish Zagato family and DB4 GT Continuation, while also propelling Aston Martin into the all-electric realm.

The first car will be built at Aston Martin’s St Athan production facility – the brand’s home of electrification.

Rapide E represents a first step towards achieving the company’s wider electrification strategy. A special edition with a production run strictly limited to 155 units, Rapide E has been developed in collaboration with Williams Advanced Engineering (WAE).

Inside and out, Rapide E is equipped with the materials and technology befitting of the marque’s first EV model. Swathes of carbon fibre have been deployed throughout, assisting in delivering the strict weight targets set by Aston Martin’s engineering team from the outset.

Throughout the development process, the combined AML/WAE engineering team first focused their efforts on finding packaging solutions for the battery system and motors within the Rapide’s architecture before working to achieve effective cooling of the batteries and motors.

Rapide E is powered by an 800V electrical architecture battery – encased in carbon fibre and Kevlar casing – with a 65kWh installed capacity using over 5600 lithium-ion 18650 format cylindrical cells. This bespoke battery pack lies where the original 6.0L V12, gearbox and fuel tank were located, with the 800V system allowing for more efficient charging and greatly improved thermal characteristics over existing electrical architectures. 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 is over 200 miles, while the model is capable of charging at a rate of 185 miles of range per hour using a typical 400V 50kW charger. However, the car’s 800V high-voltage battery system enables faster charging of 310 miles of range per hour, using an 800V outlet delivering 100kW or higher. For destination charging, the car also features a high-power AC on-board charger capable of recharging the battery in as little as 3 hours.

Top speed for Rapide E is 155mph, with a sub-4.0 second 0-60mph time and a 50-70mph time of just 1.5 seconds. These figures are not restricted to a narrow window of battery charge or climatic conditions, instead, thanks to the cutting-edge 800V architecture, the Rapide E will deliver its performance in a consistent and repeatable way as would be expected from a traditional Aston Martin product. This includes the ability to drive a full lap of the Nürburgring with no performance derating of the battery or the motors.

Aston Martin www.astonmartin.com