Engineering news
Unveiled today (6 September) by WAE Technologies (formerly Williams Advanced Engineering), the EVRh platform is a derivative of the EVR electric hypercar platform, which the company revealed exactly one year ago.
The EVR was designed to provide a ‘tried and tested’ platform for hypercar manufacturers to build on, potentially cutting development timescales from three years to two years or less, WAE claimed.
Produced in Oxfordshire, the new EVRh features a lightweight composite structure, with the high-performance H2 fuel cell and battery system situated in the middle of the vehicle to optimise the centre of gravity.
“The platform’s design flexibility enables manufacturers to create multiple configurations: from track-only vehicle, where power-to-weight is maximised, to roadgoing models of both open-roof Targa and fixed-roof GT style,” the WAE announcement said.
“This is made possible by the architecture’s central tub, which has been designed from day one to allow for such flexibility – including open roof design – while still featuring the very latest performance technology, such as active aerodynamics.”
With a liquid-cooled FCEV battery pack at its core, the EVRh can discharge 430kW of power. Combined with the 120kW hydrogen fuel cell, EVRh has a total output of 550kW, enabling sub-2.5 second 0-100km/h acceleration, and an estimated lap time of the Nürburgring in under 7 minutes, 20 seconds. Two hydrogen storage tanks have a combined volume of 100 litres, enabling a potential range of 600km. All-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive layouts are supported through multiple e-motor configurations.
The hybrid powertrain should also accelerate route to market for manufacturers, WAE said, thanks to the entire engineering and assembly of the platform being completed by the firm. The rolling chassis will also be able to undergo “continuous enhancements”, the announcement said, by introducing WAE’s latest motor and battery technologies.
Paul McNamara, technical director for WAE Technologies, said: “Since its inception in 2010, WAE has been dedicated to innovating cutting-edge and transformative technologies across a variety of applications and industries.
“EVRh, on display at Cenex LCV for the first time, is another key example of WAE’s capabilities in the development of solutions for zero-carbon vehicles, enabling state-of-the-art FCEV vehicles to be brought to market rapidly and cost-effectively.”
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