2020 Aston Martin Rapide E to Arrive Next Year

In collaboration with Williams Advanced Engineering, Aston Martin is developing its first purely electric car, the Rapid E. The rear-wheel-drive sedan will be propelled by two electric motors producing 601 HP and 950 Nm of torque and driving through a limited-slip differential.

The luxury sedan gets its power from a 800-volt battery consisting of 5,600 lithium-ion cells. The battery has a capacity of 65kWh and is placed where the regular Rapide’s V12 heart and fuel tank used to be found.

Aston Martin suggested that the Rapid E is built for both performance and range. With the WLTP method, the car can measure more than 200 miles on a single charge. It also meets the performance criteria set by the automaker.

The claimed acceleration figures are under 4 seconds for 0-60 mph and 1.5 seconds for 50-70 mph, while the top speed is said to hit 155 mph or 250 km/h. All these figures do qualify to maintain the Rapide’s status as a performance model.

The Rapid E’s exterior and underbody have also been changed for better aerodynamics. A new set of redesigned wheels are used alongside Pirelli P-Zero low rolling-resistance tires. Spring and damper rates have also been revised to improve the car’s handling quality.

Aston Martin’s production of the Rapid E will take place at the St. Athan manufacturing facility in South Wales. The automaker plans to make only 155 units of the sedan, with the deliveries are scheduled for Q4 2019.