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Aston Martin unveils latest all-electric Rapide E prototype with 800v powertrain

Aston Martin aims to bring its first all-electric vehicle, the Rapide E, to market by the end of the year and it has now unveiled the latest validation prototype, which is equipped with a new 800-volt powertrain.

The British automaker unveiled a prototype of a Rapide converted with an all-electric drivetrain, the ‘Rapide E’, back in 2015.

Two years later, they started working with Williams Advanced Engineering, the tech division of the Williams Formula 1 team, to make the vehicle’s electric powertrain.

A few months ago, Aston Martin confirmed that the partnership resulted in a new powertrain consisting of “an 800V battery electrical architecture with 65kWh installed capacity using over 5600 lithium ion 18650 format cylindrical cells” powering “two rear-mounted electric motors producing a combined target output of just over 610PS and a colossal 950Nm of torque.”

Now the company put together the first validation prototype of the Rapide E, which CEO Andy Palmer described as a “breakthrough” with the 800-volt battery system:

Back in September 2018, the automaker released some projected performance specs, including a “top speed of 155mph, a sub-4.0sec 0-60mph time and a 50-70mph time of just 1.5sec.”

The company claims that the battery pack is going to enable a range of “over 200 miles under the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP).”

They say the 800v battery system will be able to accept a charge rate of “100kW or higher.”

Aston Martin hasn’t confirmed a price yet, but it is expected to be high since they have so far only confirmed a limited production run of 155 units of the Rapide E with the “first customer deliveries scheduled for Q4 2019.”

Electrek’s Take

This car looks slick. I like what I see and it’s also exciting that they are trying to bring to market a 800-volt system.

At this pace, they might even beat the Porsche Taycan to market with one – albeit the fact that it’s on a smaller battery pack and lower volume production.

That’s the biggest bummer about the Rapide E. They are only planning to make a few of them.

Nonetheless, every segment of the auto industry is going electric – even the limited production cars. Can’t wait to try it.

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Avatar for Fred Lambert Fred Lambert

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