The electric Aston Martin RapidE four-door coupe saloon is officially going to arrive as a production model on 2019, with four-wheel drive and 800bhp plus.
The electric Aston Martin RapidE has been on the way for quite a while, and we’d begun to think it was more about making ‘Green’ noise than any real intent.
Two years ago, Aston Martin boss, Andy Palmer, declared that AML were working on an electric RapidE (that’s RapidE with a big ‘E’ at the end) and that it would come with 4WD courtesy of two electric motors and deliver at least 800bhp.
A few months later, we learned that the RapidE’s development would be possible thanks to £50 million from China Equity and with help from Williams Advanced Engineering, and earlier this year we learnt, again from Andy Palmer, that the RapidE would arrive in 2018, replace the ICE Rapide, and that it would subsequently be replaced by an electric Lagonda saloon.
Now, Andy Palmer is back again promising the electric RapidE will now arrive in 2019, confirming the arrival of a production model but giving no details of what will be on offer. Although we assume it won’t be a lot different to the 4WD, 800bhp plus promised in 2015.
Paul McNamara, Williams Technical Director, said of the RapidE project:
Williams Advanced Engineering has always endeavoured to work collaboratively with its customers to meet their sustainability challenges and find energy efficient solutions.
For today’s car manufacturers, this is particularly important as legislation demands more energy efficient vehicles.
This project with Aston Martin will draw on the extensive battery and EV experience we have accumulated and we are extremely pleased to be supporting this prestigious British company with their future electrification strategy.
It seems the electric RapidE will be a limited run of 155 cars, and although it will probably blow Tesla out of the water it will cost at least twice as much as the American firm’s most expensive model.
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