The future of supercar performance looks like a cartoon Batmobile.
A new machine unveiled by niche UK firm Ariel highlights the performance that electrification makes possible when little regard is had for everyday practicality.
As with the Honda-powered, open-top, skeletonized Ariel Atom sports car, the new Ariel Hipercar promises to be an uncompromising machine.
Many manufacturers take inspiration from fighter planes for bold military-looking designs.
But few of them have a real jet engine to help improve performance.
Ariel says the compact rear-mounted turbine on his new machine helps make the car faster not by producing thrust, but by serving as a range extender for the electric machine’s battery.
The little jet recharges the car’s 62kWh battery, allowing Ariel to keep the car’s weight down to an impressive 1,400kg for an electric car.
Drive comes from a new electric motor design that produces 220kW and 450Nm, enough to rival turbocharged hatchbacks like the Honda Civic Type R.
If that sounds underwhelming, consider that the Ariel has one of those motors mounted directly to each wheel, delivering 880kW of power and 1800Nm of torque in a package that weighs as much as a family hatchback.
The result is a car that reaches 100 km/h in a touch of more than two seconds.
High-performance tires and brakes help keep thrust under control, along with adjustable suspension and a sophisticated traction control system.
Available to order now, the Hipercar, a name that stands for High Performance Carbon Reduction, is set to go into production in the next two years or so.
Ariel hasn’t released the price of the machine, only telling British reporters that he intends the car to cost less than £1 million ($1.7 million), putting it out of reach for anyone with no wealth to rival. BruceWayne.
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