Aston Martin has finally been revealed its first electric car which the company announced four years ago. Based on the existing combustion-engine Aston Martin Rapide sedan, the Rapide E debuted at the Shanghai Auto Show on Tuesday. Only 155 will be made, and Aston Martin didn’t announce a price for the car.
Powered by an 800-volt, 65kWh battery, Aston Martin estimates 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 and can get the car up to a top speed of 155 miles per hour.
Aston Martin says the Rapide E will go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in under four seconds. When plugged into a high-speed charger, the car’s battery can be recharged at a rate of 310 miles per hour.
The car includes a 10-inch digital instrument cluster behind the steering wheel, and an 8-inch display mounted atop the center of the dashboard will handle infotainment duties with physical buttons below it on the center console, echoing the layout of the most recent Rapides. Both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto will be supported.
The Rapide E mostly resembles the combustion engine car it’s based on, save for some electric blue accents in the headlights and on the brake calipers. Under the hood is where things are most different. The battery system has been designed around the space where the combustion version’s V12 engine, gear box, and fuel tank normally go.
It means the Rapide E doesn’t have a full floor of batteries like, say, a Tesla. While that cuts down on design and engineering costs, it ultimately limits the number of battery cells that an automaker can fit in the car. In the end, the Rapide E weighs 4,717 pounds, which is about 400 pounds more than the internal combustion Rapide S.
The Rapide E will be built in the village of St. Athan in South Wales. That’s also where Aston Martin plans to build the all-electric vehicles of Lagonda, its recently resurrected sub-brand dedicated to EVs. Aston Martin is calling the facility in St. Athan the company’s “Home of Electrification.”
