Aston Martin Rapide E: new details of electric super-saloon

Williams Advanced Engineering technical director Paul McNamara on the Rapide E - interview

When did you first get involved?

“We’ve been very active in working with OEMs on battery technology and we did some work with Nissan and Andy Palmer [former Nissan chief planning officer and now Aston CEO] had been involved in that work. When he moved over to Aston Martin, he had a very clear vision of electrification as a route the company needed to go down. He was well aware of our activity and brought us into the company, starting with the very first project electric Rapid with Formula E power. We then came up with the idea of getting an APC grant to get the development done. That journey has been two and a bit years.”

Are you championing British suppliers with the powertrain in the Rapide E?

“We are a small one, but like any automotive manufacturer, we do bring in parts from Europe. [For] this particular battery, because it’s quite low volume, quite specialist, we are leaning quite heavily on the suppliers we use in the UK. At least 90% of everything bar the cells is a UK supply.”

Why mount two motors on the rear axle instead of spreading them across both axles?

“Very much the brief for the whole thing was that we don’t really want to change the Rapide at all, as it is a limited-volume car. The affordability of the project is dependent on carrying it over. What we had to do is carry over a rear-wheel-drive platform. We also wanted to give it Rapide power, plus a bit, so two motors was the sensible solution.”

Is it less practical? 

“The boot has changed, but the overall boot volume is very similar. Aston were very keen to keep the car’s practicality.”

How much does the Rapide E weigh?

“It is virtually identical to the standard car. That’s why you can see a lot of cost engineered into it, with a carbonfibre frame and materials such as Kevlar. The powertrain is approximately the same weight, all in, to the V12 and gearbox that has been taken out."

What is the car’s range?

“The target was that it had to be more than 200 miles on the NEDC cycle. We’re pretty comfortable that it’ll be in the region of 230 miles. We had to have performance, weight and range as similar as possible to the standard Rapide.”

What are the benefits of the 800V architecture?

“The big benefit is weight: you’re operating at a lower current with less conductive material needed. Aston was also adamant that it wanted to do this project to gain engineering knowledge and development for future cars, such as those in the Lagonda range. So an 800V system is future-proofing in terms of the latest charging tech.”

Rapide E will appeal to “very different” customers to Tesla Model S

Customers of the Rapide E electric model will be very different from those interested in a top-of-the-line Tesla model, according to boss Andy Palmer.

“Most of the people who buy a Model S are buying it fully loaded. They’re not limited by their cash. They’re limited by the offer,” Palmer said.

“We’re looking to those guys looking for something above Tesla. That customer probably isn’t looking for 'Ludicrous mode'. Our offer will have very credible acceleration – equal to a petrol Aston Martin – but you’ll be able to drive the car rapidly all the way around the Nürburgring without it derating or conking out on you.”

Aston Martin is currently running prototypes of the Rapide E – one of which we drove (below) – ahead of deliveries in 2019. Although a fair amount is set to change before production of the 155 customer-spec Rapide Es begins, the engineering mule does prove the fundamental viability of an electric Aston Martin.

The prototype has been developed by Williams Advanced Engineering, which is also working on the production version. It will be based on the Rapide AMR.

The car is described as a proof-of-concept rather than being too indicative of what the finished article will be like. As such, its engine bay is filled with what is in effect one of Williams' Formula E battery packs and has required some bulkhead surgery to make the pack fit. The final battery will be smaller and more compact, but still front-mounted. Drive is handled by the rear wheels only. In the prototype, it is through a single electric motor but the finished article will switch to a pair.

The relationship between the Rapide E and other future Aston Martin electric vehicles will be complicated. Palmer says that all EV powertrain intellectual property will reside with the company but admits that the Rapide E is a proof-of-concept rather than an architecture that will be developed for other models.

When asked why Aston Martin was choosing to launch its newest powertrain in its oldest car, Palmer said: “I’ve engineered cars for a long time. It’s very hard work when you try and change everything at once… I wanted to do this with a car we understand intrinsically.”

Driving the Aston Martin Rapide E prototype