Ariel’s electric supercar promises 1180 horsepower

By Rachel England From engadget

And it’ll be on the road by 2020.

No sooner had rumors started circulating that car manufacturer Ariel had something special in the works than the company came out and confirmed it was true. An electric supercar with more than 1000 horsepower is on its way, and fittingly for a vehicle capable of such impressive speeds, it’ll be arriving soon, unveiled fully in 2019 and on sale in 2020.

Its working title is Hipercar, short for “high-performance carbon reduction” (although its final name is TBC — the company registered “Elektron” in late 2016), and its credentials are seriously exciting. The all-wheel drive version uses four small motors at each wheel to produce 1180 horsepower and 1330 pound-feet of torque. It’ll hit 60mph in just 2.4 seconds, with a top speed of 160mph. The two (rear) wheel version boasts 590 horsepower and 665 pound-feet of torque. It’ll also be fitted with a range-extending petrol generator turbine, providing 35kW for the batteries as needed. Ariel says it’ll be “the first true electric supercar that’ll cross continents, drive to town and lap a race track”.

Unlike Ariel’s previous automotive ventures, the Atom and the Nomad, Hipercar will be a closed car. We won’t find out until 2019 exactly what it’ll look like, but you can expect it to pack a visual punch. The renderings show angular body panels, gullwing doors and chunky tyres — the sort of thing Batman might drive. And, given the specs, the sort of thing only Batman could afford. Speaking to autoblog, Ariel founder Simon Saunders said, “It will be an expensive car because of the technology involved. But when compared to £1 million-plus supercars, which it will outperform, it’s going to represent excellent value for money.”

IMAGE: Ariel

For more on this story go to: https://www.engadget.com/2017/08/24/ariels-electric-supercar-promises-1180-horsepower/