Ariel Readies 1,200-HP Electric Supercar

Niche British carmaker Ariel Motor Co. is developing an all-wheel-drive electrified car with a targeted output of 1,180 hp and 1,330 lb-ft of torque.

A prototype of the two-seat vehicle will be unveiled later this month. The production model is slated for a 2020 introduction, company officials tell Autocar. Codenamed the P40, the vehicle will be equipped with four 295-hp electric motors, a 42-kWh battery pack and a turbine range-extender system.

Ariel estimates the vehicle will rocket from zero to 60 mph in 2.4 seconds and take just 3.4 seconds to hit 100 mph. The car will zoom to 150 mph in 7.8 seconds on its way to an electronically limited top speed of 160 mph, according to the carmaker. A two-motor variant with a 5-kWh battery will be slightly slower.

The liquid-cooled battery will allow the car to travel as far as 120 miles—or 15 minutes of “flat-out” track driving. The turbine, which sits atop the rear motors, kicks in once the battery is depleted to extend the driving range an unspecified distance.

Built on an aluminum monocoque chassis with carbon fiber body panels, the P40 is expected to weigh about 3,500 lbs. Extruded aluminum subframes bolt to the front and rear of the tub to carry the independent double wishbone suspension and other mechanical components.

The brakes are AP Racing grooved and ventilated discs with six-piston calipers in front and four-pots in the rear. Other goodies include electronic traction control, torque vectoring and regenerative braking.

Ariel is working with two other British companies—Delta Motorsport and Equipmake Ltd.—on the project, which is supported by a £2 million ($2.6 million) grant from the British government. Delta supplied the battery and range extender system. Equipmake contributed the electric motors, gearboxes and other electronics.