Aston Martin reveals the RapidE, its first electric car

Aston Martin has confirmed that the RapidE, an all-electric version of the four-door Rapide, will go into production in 2019. 

Based on the upcoming Rapide AMR concept, it will be a four-door performance car with an electric motor replacing the V12 engine. This will be Aston Martin's first ever electric car, offering what CEO Dr Andy Palmer describes as "a sustainable future".

"The internal combustion engine has been at the heart of Aston Martin for more than a century, and will continue to be for years to come," said Andy. 

"[The] RapidE will showcase Aston Martin’s vision, desire and capability to successfully embrace radical change, delivering a new breed of car that stays true to our ethos and delights our customers.”

This news comes two years after it was unveiled as a concept in 2015, when Aston Martin parked it outside Lancaster House in London while the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge met the President of The People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping, inside. It had been developed in conjunction with the Williams F1 team.

During the event, Aston Martin and Chinese investment group, ChinaEquity, signed an agreement to explore the development of a production version of the RapidE concept.

At the time, Chaoyong Wang, chairman of ChinaEquity, said: “We are excited to participate in the development of the RapidE and to make a contribution to Sino-British clean energy and green environmental strategy. We feel confident that there are significant opportunities for electric cars in China and the world.”

This isn't the first time Aston Martin has tried to reduce the collective CO2 emissions of its stable. Back in 2015 when the concept was unveiled, the Cygnet was a relatively recent memory. “On my watch we are never going to put a diesel engine in an Aston, and I don’t think the Cygnet was the right thing to do,” said Andy in 2015. 

“I think a car that sits squarely above the Tesla [Model S electric car] would be much more interesting. Most people who buy Teslas are buying fully loaded ones, which implies there’s room for that.”

Andy Palmer occupied senior roles at Nissan while the Japanese manufacturer developed and launched the Leaf, which is one of our favourite EVs and arguably one of the most successful. Even before his arrival at Gaydon in 2014, an electric Aston Martin seemed inevitable, though at one point this seemed certain to be a plug-in version of the ill-fated Cygnet.

The concept boasted 1,000bhp, but Aston Martin is keeping quiet about the powertrain in the production version of the RapidE. We're not sure about the name, but we're certainly excited to see what Aston Martin's take on the electric car is. On paper, it sounds brilliant, but given the rapidity with which the performance-electric segment has developed over the past few years, it's clear that there will be some pretty compelling rivals. 

Paul McNamara, Technical Director at Williams Advanced Engineering said today: “Williams Advanced Engineering has always endeavoured to work collaboratively with its customers to meet their sustainability challenges and find energy efficient solutions.

"For today’s car manufacturers, this is particularly important as legislation demands more energy efficient vehicles.

"This project with Aston Martin will draw on the extensive battery and EV experience we have accumulated and we are extremely pleased to be supporting this prestigious British company with their future electrification strategy.”

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