Atom to Electron: Ariel Prepares a 1200 Horsepower Electric Hypercar

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Small auto companies often make fanciful claims, and we’ll understand if you attach a degree of skepticism to the announcement that a British automaker with fewer than 50 employees is planning a 1200 horsepower electric performance car that also will feature a turbine engine operating as a range extender, and that it will accelerate from rest to 150 mph in just 7.8 seconds.

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Yet this company is Ariel, which has successfully produced both the skeletal Atom sports car and its more rugged Nomad sibling, and which has a history of delivering on its stated ambitions, however grandiose. The HIPERCAR project (standing for HIgh PERformance CArbon Reduction) involves showing a prototype that already has been substantially developed with the help of funding from both the British government and various technical partners, and we’re told that the car will be on sale in 2020.

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Pitched as a showcase for what British automotive engineering can do, the HIPERCAR uses a UK-developed motor, gearbox, battery, control electronics, and chassis. Both rear- and all-wheel-drive versions are under development, with these built to use 750-volt battery packs of 42-kWh or 56-kWh capacity. These can be recharged on the move by a 47-hp gasoline-burning micro-turbine range extender that can spin at 12,000 rpm.

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Ariel says its driven wheels are turned by inboard-mounted motors that produce 295 hp and 332 lb-ft each—and that weigh just 88 pounds each—giving a total output of 590 hp in two-wheel drive form and 1180 horses in all-wheel drive. Torque vectoring will direct the thrust to where it’s best needed with a vehicle dynamic control traction system that will be able to tune handling behavior to suit driving conditions and driving style. We’re betting that will include some kind of electron-propelled drift mode. The chassis is an aluminum monocoque with an integral roll cage, multilink independent suspension at each corner, and the battery pack mounted under the floor and central tunnel.

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We’ll have to wait until nearer to the official launch to see the final exterior styling: Ariel has taken the unusual step of releasing the technical details before showing us what the car will look like. However, it has released two renderings designed to indicate the design direction. Ariel founder Simon Saunders admits that the finished version will be the first of the company’s products to have doors, with folding gullwing versions that will be shaped to help deliver on some aggressive aerodynamic targets.

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While many electric supercars have turned out to be nothing more than vaporware, we’re betting that Ariel could pull this one off. We’re really looking forward to telling you more about it.

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