Aston Martin has partnered up with American electric carmaker Lucid Motors as part of a £2 billion ($NZ4.1 billion) transition from petrol-powered supercars to luxury EVs.
The deal will see Lucid supply Aston Martin with its electric powertrain and battery technology that will be used at the centre of an all-new in-house modular electric platform.
All models in the future line-up of the British marque are said to use the platform as their basis, including hypercars, sports cars, GTs, and SUVs, the first of which is due out in 2025.
We can expect Aston Martin’s upcoming electric platform to feature dual electric motors and four-wheel torque vectoring, as well as “inverter technology that controls the rate and efficiency of energy discharge and recouperation.”
Helping it on its journey will be the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One team, which will consult the luxury brand on its development of EV technology.
In terms of future vehicle designs, we can look forward to seeing “wind-cheating” bodywork that will become sleeker as there will be no need for mouthy air intakes associated with petrol engines.
Aston Martin is also on track to release its first plug-in hybrid, the mid-engined Valhalla, in 2024 but it says all new models will feature an electrified powertrain option from 2026. The long-term objective for the brand is to be fully electric by 2030.
You may also be aware that Mercedes-Benz currently provides Aston Martin with components such as its 4.0-litre V8. Their relationship is set to continue with the German carmaker continuing to supply its powertrains, electric architectures, and internal combustion engines.
“The supply agreement with Lucid is a game changer for the future EV-led growth of Aston Martin. Based on our strategy and requirements, we selected Lucid, gaining access to the industry’s highest performance and most innovative technologies for our future BEV products,” says Lawrence Stroll, Executive Chairman of Aston Martin.
