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The Aston Martin Rapide is Going Electric!

It was bound to happen at some point, wasn't it? An Aston Martin that runs purely off electricity; no silky smooth V12 engine, and no sonorous exhaust note. Aston Martin confirmed they have worked alongside Williams Advanced Engineering (WAE to you and us) to make the 'Rapide-E', an all-electric super saloon that produces an extraordinary 602bhp.

Although the news may come as a surprise to some, avid followers of Aston Martin will know that electrification is very much at the forefront of the brand's developing infrastructure. In fact, it's been less than a year since Aston Martin announced that their second major UK manufacturing facility would become the brand's 'Home of Electrification'.

Dr Andy Palmer, Aston Martin President and Group Chief Executive Officer, said: "The Rapide E will spearhead development of Aston Martin's low- and zero-emission vehicle strategy. With the reintroduction of the Lagonda brand, this is a demonstration of how electrification features prominently in our business plan moving forward."

Embracing the Future

Unfortunately, the 552bhp 6.0-litre V12 engine is gone. However, it has been replaced with an 800-volt battery architecture that has a 65khw capacity and produces the equivalent of 602bhp; this is also known as a lot. That power figure is actually 15bhp more than the Rapide AMR, which was released earlier this year.

Remarkably, the power isn't the headline figure in the Rapide-E. As with any electric car, there is a large amount of torque available as soon as the accelerator pedal is pressed. The Rapide-E has 701 lb/ft at its disposal, which when combined with the power output, is enough to launch the Rapide-E from a standstill to 60mph in just four seconds. Aston Martin also claim the electric super saloon will accelerate from 50-70mph in just 1.5 seconds.

Although the performance on offer is substantial to say the least, there is one underlying concern that needs addressing: the range. No matter, Aston Martin says the Rapide-E will be able to achieve around 200 miles on a single charge. Bear in mind, those figures are based on the recently introduced Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP for short), so they should be easily achievable during everyday driving.

On-board, there will be two electric motors that will drive one rear wheel each courtesy of a specially designed transmission. To ensure the Rapide-E performs to the same levels as its petrol powered counterpart, the spring and damper settings have been revised to deal with the change in weight distribution. On top of this, the aerodynamics of the Rapide-E will be enhanced to maximise aero efficiency and ultimately reduce drag.

Although only 155 examples of the Rapide-E will be built, it represents a massive step into the future for the British marque.