Huge news in 2 parts, first of which Aston Martin have given hints that they may be moving into Formula E. Despite refusing to enter Formula 1 as Red Bull’s engine manufacturer following the changes coming in 2021.
Aston Martin have already said they are going to be reviving the Lagonda name, which was founded in 1906. It has revealed the Lagonda Vision concept, which is due to be all electric.
The Lagonda Brand, Aston’s serious luxury brand would be the staple for the manufacturer in Formula eE.
Clearly electricity is running through the company’s brains at the moment as they have also announced the Rapide E, which will be Aston’s own all electric luxury sports car.
The car is a limited edition, only 155 will be built so very limited, and the costs are yet to be announced.
What we do know though is that it will be powered by an 800-volt, 65kWh battery, it is estimated that the Rapide E will be able to travel “over 200 miles” on a single charge.
Twin motors mounted on the rear axle will generate 450kW, which would equate to over 600bhp.
0-60 iI hear you ask, well that’s under 4 seconds, faster than the Rapide S which the car is designed from.
When plugged into a high-speed charger, the car’s battery can be recharged at a rate of 310 miles per hour.
As with most cars being released in the past couple of years the tech doesn’t fall short, a 10-inch digital instrument cluster behind the steering wheel, and an 8-inch display mounted above the center of the dashboard able to handle both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Aston martin have taken some prompts from Toyota with the styling, using the Rapide S body, but with strokes of blue to signify the huge collection of electric batteries under the hood unlike under the floor like a Tesla.
While this is good for Aston Martin in development costs it does limit the battery capacity, which in turn also limits the weight, less than 200 kilo’s heavier than the standard combustion engine model.
Interestingly the Rapide E has had quite a rollercoaster of a ride prior to inception, originally announced in 2015 right as Aston was hitting some serious money problems.
The concept was the restarted in 2016, lined up to work in conjunction with Chinese company LeEco, however they pulled out in 2017.
From that sour turn Williams the Formula 1 race team took the reins but limited the production run to just 155 vehicles.
So the new home for all Aston Martin and Lagonda electric vehicles, St. Athan in South Wales.
The facility has been named the “Home of Electrification”, which brings the image of Frankenstein’s mansion to mind.
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