Ariel Atom, the automaker set out in little Somerset, England is set to send more English chills down our spine with a 1196 hp electric supercar that is due for production in 2020, in a report by Autocar.
The British firm believes that it will be the fastest-accelerating and most advanced supercar in history, but not out of thin air. Codenamed the P40, it’s two-seater aluminium monocoque chassis will be clad in carbon fibre body panels with an expected weight of around 1600 kg – an obese by Ariel’s standard.
Power comes from four separate electric motors with liquid-cooled batteries mounted at the car’s base. There will be a 4×4 variant alongside a proposed “slower” two-wheel drive model. Both models will include a turbine range extender sitting at the back to provide continuous performance once the initial 200 km or so range is exhausted. It is estimated that a good 50 minutes of charging would get you 15 minutes of flat-out track driving.
With around 1,800 Nm of torque, forecasted performance figures are simply uncomprehensible – 0 to 100 km/h takes 2.4 seconds, 0 to 160 km/h in 3.8 seconds, 0 to 240 km/h in 7.8 seconds with a restricted top speed of 257 km/h. Reinforcements come in the form of an advance electronic traction control system, torque vectoring alongside regenerative braking.
Due to be revealed later this month, the new Ariel is a result of a three company cooperative project called Hipercar (High-Performance Carbon Reduction) together with Innovate UK, a government technology agency.
Image Credit: arielatom.com
