5 Reasons Why Aston Martin's 1000bhp Electric Rapide Will Be Awesome

Aston Martin has revealed the 'RapidE' electric concept version of its four-door saloon, and it looks like a production car will follow. Here's why that's a good thing
5 Reasons Why Aston Martin's 1000bhp Electric Rapide Will Be Awesome

Save for the fancy graphics splashed all over the side, the car above looks very much like an ordinary Aston Martin Rapide. But it isn’t. It’s actually the RapidE, which eschews the usual 6.0-litre V12 for electric power, as well as abusing the concept of capital letters. It may just be a concept, but the intention is for a production version to follow, which could be with us in around two years. Is that a good thing? We think so…

1. It'll be enormously fast

5 Reasons Why Aston Martin's 1000bhp Electric Rapide Will Be Awesome

Speaking to Autocar, Aston CEO Andy Palmer dropped into the conversation that there’ll be a ‘performance’ version of the RapidE, with anything from 800-1000bhp. That’s a rather exciting prospect, but if you’re concerned that power will be negated by a ruddy heavy battery pack, fear not, as the removal of the conventional drivetrain means the EV version will be scarcely heavier. Considering the current 552bhp Rapide S will crack 0-62mph in 4.9 seconds, the hottest RapidE shouldn’t have much trouble giving a Ludicrous’d Tesla a piece of its mind.

The fastest RapidE will be all-wheel drive, with an electric motor powering each wheel. Palmer also revealed the intention of producing a slightly less bonkers rear-wheel drive version, with a similar output to the Rapide S.

2. And handle better than its petrol-powered cousin

5 Reasons Why Aston Martin's 1000bhp Electric Rapide Will Be Awesome

One of the most impressive aspects of the Tesla Model S is how light on its feet it feels, despite having a particularly lardy weight figure. It’s all down to its low centre of gravity; all the important bits that deal with the whole forward motion thing are contained in a thick, low slab.

Of course, it won’t be quite the same deal in the RapidE - as it’ll presumably use the standard Rapide’s chassis adapted for EV use - but it’ll still have the benefits of a lower centre of gravity. There’ll no longer be a relatively tall engine under the bonnet, and many of the batteries in the production version will be mounted along the car’s spine.

Weight distribution could also be improved thanks to that missing engine; Aston’s 6.0-litre V12 isn’t really the lightest thing to nail to the front of a car, after all.

3. Williams is involved

5 Reasons Why Aston Martin's 1000bhp Electric Rapide Will Be Awesome

Williams Advanced Engineering - the side of the Grove-based F1 team that adapts tech created in racing for commercial uses - helped develop the concept, and those chaps know what they’re doing. This part of Williams is responsible for the battery system used in every single car on the Formula E grid - just one of the many electric vehicle projects the company is responsible for. It’s likely that Williams tech will make it into the production version, too.

4. It's the perfect Aston to be electrified

5 Reasons Why Aston Martin's 1000bhp Electric Rapide Will Be Awesome

If you’re going to whip the engine out of any Aston Martin and replace it with a bunch of electric motors, surely it’s got to be the Rapide. This big four-door is arguably the best Aston at the whole grand touring thing, so turning it into a near-silent, relaxing continent crusher (factoring in a few charge stops, of course) is an appealing prospect. It’s also worth bearing in mind that losing a conventional drivetrain could well free up extra interior and storage space for your next trip down to Monte Carlo, or whichever swanky part of the globe sir would like to drive his Rapide to.

5. It'd be more proof that electric cars can be desirable

5 Reasons Why Aston Martin's 1000bhp Electric Rapide Will Be Awesome

For too long, electric cars were painfully uncool. Hell, the sort of EVs we were used to seeing often weren’t cars at all: they were embarrassing, dangerous little quadricycles like the G Whizz. Tesla changed all that, and other companies - like Porsche with its stunning Mission E concept - are now joining the fray with EVs you might actually aspire to own. And that makes the future of fast cars a whole lot less scary.

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