With all of you, the Aston Martin Rapide E, the first electric sports car from the English brand

Its electrification may have been somewhat delayed compared with the timelines of its rivals, but Aston Martin has finally made the inevitable leap into electric vehicles with the arrival of its first 100% electric sports car, the Aston Martin Rapide E. The English brand has brought it to the Shanghai Motor Show to present it in grand style, and finally both we and James Bond can see its first official images.

The Aston Martin factory located in the Welsh town of St. Athan, southwest of Cardiff, will have the honour of being the brand’s electrification hub, and consequently it will also be responsible for bringing to life the mere 152 units of the Rapide E that will be built as a strictly limited edition. Moreover, this work will be carried out in collaboration with Williams Advanced Engineering, so it will benefit from the experience gained on the track and the backing of one of the legendary Formula 1 teams.

With the cover now removed, we can see a Aston Martin Rapide E that, despite its electric soul, loses not an ounce of the sportiness and design essence of the English brand. Undoubtedly, what will catch our eye first is the honeycomb-shaped front grille, giving a sense of width that is reinforced by the increase in the proportions of the bodywork, all due to the need for better aerodynamic solutions on the exterior of the bodywork rather than the interior, something that is usual in a combustion-engined vehicle given its cooling requirements.

Williams Advanced Engineering’s expertise in aerodynamics is also reflected in the design of the underbody, which minimises the air entering through the front lower splitter until it reaches the new rear diffuser, larger and more elaborate in design than that of the combustion Rapide, something also achieved by eliminating the exhaust line. Perhaps what suits the Rapide E least is the design of its forged aluminium wheels, although it should be said that their design allows for greater aerodynamic efficiency, to which we must add the bespoke Pirelli P-Zero tyres. All these changes mean the Rapide E is 8% more aerodynamically efficient than the combustion-engined version.

If we now step inside, we will see that the brand’s good taste in design has also carried over to its first electric vehicle, except for the steering wheel, which remains as ugly as sin, combining leather upholstery with various design patterns and carbon fibre, necessary to reduce its weight and achieve the established limit. But perhaps the most important change is found in its instrument panel, fully digital thanks to the 10-inch digital screen that provides the driver with plenty of information such as battery charge, engine power levels, regeneration performance or real-time energy consumption.

Owners will also have an app that allows us to control all this key information from our smartphone, in addition to showing other information such as remaining range, charging status and time, sending destinations to the Rapide E so routes can be planned in advance, or the place where we parked it. Also, as expected, the app will inform us through reminders of any required maintenance services.

The heart of the Aston Martin Rapide E is an 800 V battery with a capacity of 65 kWh, encased in a carbon fibre and Kevlar shell, which powers two electric motors located at the rear delivering a combined output of 610 CV and an enormous torque of 950 Nm, sent to the rear wheels through a limited-slip differential, and which also allows the selection of GT, Sport and Sport+ driving modes to adjust its performance and response.

With these figures, the Aston Martin Rapide E manages to accelerate to 100 km/h in just 4.2 seconds and reach a top speed of 290 km/h, while its range is set at 320 km on the WLTP cycle. The batteries can be charged almost completely in one hour using the 400 V, 50 kW charger, halved if we use the 800 V, 100 kW charger; while at the destination, with the on-board AC charger, we can do it in 3 hours.