Aston Martin RapidE concept is an all-electric tourer that could reach production in two years

The Aston Martin RapidE concept, which electrifies the automaker's V12-powered luxury touring sedan, previews a zero-tailpipe-emission car that could reach production in as little as two years.

PHOTO BY ASTON MARTIN

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When we last heard from Aston Martin, it was staging an incredible photo shoot with its Vulcan hypercar and the Avro Vulcan hyper…plane, two remarkable machines built for all-out performance. Aston’s newest concept, by contrast, is all about efficiency.

This is the Aston Martin RapidE, an all-electric Rapide -- hence, the big “E” at the end of the name.

You might think the RapidE is just an Aston Martin touring sedan with batteries and at least one motor (we’re not sure about the tech specs, yet) taking the place of the V12. And you wouldn’t be wrong. But it’s also a team effort: Williams Advanced Engineering helped with the technological development, and Chinese investment group ChinaEquity will supply capital if and when the vehicle goes into production.

And it’s a look at where Aston will need to head if it is to meet global emissions and efficiency requirements. Unlike a boutique automaker attached to a larger conglomerate, Aston can’t lean on high-volume, high-efficiency mass-market cars to make up for its V12s. Previous attempts to meet requirements led to the Cygnet, so we’d say the RapidE is a step in the right direction.

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“We see luxury electric vehicles as an intrinsic part of our future product portfolio and welcome ChinaEquity into the next phase of study for the project development,” said Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer. “The exciting RapidE concept tangibly demonstrates the capability and ambition of Aston Martin toward developing low- and zero-emission sports cars.”

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen an all-electric Aston concept; the all-wheel-drive DBX concept unveiled earlier this year demonstrated that the company was at least willing to consider doing away with internal combustion in certain applications. Nor is it the first performance luxury tourer to break cover recently -- we'll remind you ofPorsche’s Mission E concept revealed in Frankfurt.

With the RapidE concept, however, we do get something resembling a production timeline: Should the Aston/ChinaEquity duo decide it’s a viable project, we can expect to see a made-in-England consumer version on the market in as little as two years.