British automaker Aston Martin has unveiled an all-electric version of the Rapide called the RapidE. Targeted first at China as a way of meeting pressing fleet average CO2 regulations, the RapidE has been developed by Williams Advanced Engineering with assistance from a Shanghai-based investment partner, ChinaEquity.
Speaking to our sister publication Autocar UK prior to the car’s debut, Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer said that the car was likely to be offered in two variants with the first being a rear-wheel-drive 550bhp model with a potential range of around 320km, and the second being a high-performance four-wheel-drive version with independent electric motors for each wheel making power between 800 and 1,000bhp. He also said that the second model would be developed only after the launch of the first.
The RapidE is near identical to the regular Rapide save for the blue RapidE badges, body graphics and the replacement of the V12 engine with electric motors and a battery bank placed along the car’s backbone.
“We are aiming to sell around 100 RapidEs a year in China and are pretty sure there will be a demand for cars in those numbers. We see luxury electric vehicles as an intrinsic part of our future product portfolio and welcome ChinaEquity into the next phase of product development.” Said Palmer. He also said that the company planned to manufacturer 400 units of the RapidE on a yearly basis.
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