Aston Martin Shows Off its All-Electric RapidE Concept

Aston Martin RapidE Concept (Credit: © Aston Martin)

Well, October 21st was the iconic day that Marty and Doc Brown went to the future in the famous time-traveling franchise, making it the perfect day to peek into the future of Aston Martin. We got that look by way of a new concept that debuted at a meeting between royalty of England and the President of The People’s Republic of China.

This concept, known as the RapidE, is Aston Martin’s first venture into the all-electric sports car segment, and I am liking what I see. Unlike so many electric concepts, this one changes nearly nothing about the look of the car, save for some iffy graphics, as it looks just like any other RapidE sedan you would see in public. Open up the hood, however, and it’s a whole different story.

Before you go thinking that this is simply vaporware created to celebrate the arrival of the Chinese President, Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer all but confirmed that this is the future of the brand. In a statement, he said “We see luxury electric vehicles as an intrinsic part of our future product portfolio…”

Aston Martin RapidE Concept (Credit: © Aston Martin)

As expected, Aston Martin cannot afford to create this EV sedan all by itself. So, it is no surprise that the automaker is looking to Chinese investment group, ChinaEquity, for help. It was at this meeting between the leaders of the two countries that ChinaEquity signed the deal with Aston Martin to help bring this concept to production.

The specifics behind the deal and the specifications of the RapidE are still under wraps, but there have been rumors that we could see an Aston Martin EV by 2018. So, this particular rig may be on the fast track. Additional rumors indicate that this EV could have upward of 1,000 horsepower. While I think that is a little bit of wild speculation, you wouldn’t hear a complaint from me if it did have that kind of power.

Keep it locked here, as I will continue to monitor this story and bring you updates as they become available.