Berkshire-based Xtrac (
www.xtrac.com) has been chosen as the official transmission supplier for Aston Martin’s first all-electric production car — the Rapide E.
This limited-edition vehicle will be powered by an 800V battery pack (mounted where the engine, gearbox and fuel tank would normally be located) driving two rear-mounted electric motors producing 950Nm of torque — making it the most powerful Rapide model.
Speaking at the Cenex low-carbon vehicle conference, Xtrac CEO Adrian Moore said “Being selected as the official transmission supplier for the Rapide E underlines the advancements we have made in developing integrated lightweight electric-vehicle transmissions, and we are really excited to be part of such a prestigious project.
“Our bespoke P1289 transmission for the Rapide E is a descendant of our revolutionary P1227 ILEV, which was launched in 2016 and has already been used in several high-performance automotive applications.
"The transmission is a single-speed three-shaft configuration, with an integrated park-brake and a high-per-formance motor-sport limited-slip differential. It is highly integrated into the vehicle.
“At Xtrac, we are leading the way with high-performance electric-vehicle transmission design, and we are nearing completion of a 27,000ft2 factory extension with new gear-manufacturing cells, a new assembly area and additional test rigs in order to support this sector.”