Ariel reveals ground-breaking new electric supercar
Hugely powerful vehicle packs 1,180bhp and 1,800Nm of torque
Ariel has lifted the lid on an all-new high-performance sports car that it believes will become “one of the fastest vehicles in the world”.
Packing 1,180bhp and 1,800Nm of torque, it will be capable of hitting 60mph in 2.4 seconds and will crack 100mph in just 3.8 seconds. Its top speed will be 160mph.
The vehicle, which is as-yet unnamed, is the result of a three-way partnership that has gained support from the government. The resulting project has been named Hipercar – an acronym for High-Performance Carbon Reduction.
Simon Saunders, director of Ariel, said: “The government assistance through Innovate UK to us and other contributing projects has been vital in developing the many technologies and components featured in the vehicle.”
Power comes from four separate electric motors, with each producing 295bhp. These are fed from a 42kWh liquid-cooled battery mounted at the centre of the car. Ariel has made the decision to leave out regenerative braking, “in order to maintain feel and consistency of [the] brake pedal at all states of battery charge”.
Ariel will also be producing a two-wheel-drive version, though this will have a lower power output.
However, both vehicles will feature the same turbine range extender which produces 35kW. Weighing less than 50kg, it is significantly lighter than a traditional piston-driven alternative, but is still capable of providing brisk enough performance once the battery’s levels are depleted.
The interior features seats that weigh just 9kg thanks to lightweight carbon fibre tube construction, as well as two TFT screens with a combination of manual and touchscreen operation.
The vehicle’s full release is set for 2019, though Ariel is due to present prototypes at the upcoming Low Carbon Vehicle (LCV) Show on September 6 and 7 of this year. Prices will be released further into the project’s development, though Saunders has said: “Like other Ariels we want Hipercar to represent excellent value for money for the remarkable performance on offer.”
