Karma Automotive has been associated with state-of-the-art electric vehicles since its inception in 2015. So it was only logical for the EV OEM to have another shot at an electric supercar. It did so by first announcing its high-performance E-Flex platform with an architecture capable of producing an electric supercar. Now, the company engineers have started testing the platform in a prototype vehicle.
Built for both road and track, the new architecture has been employed in an all-wheel drive (AWD) performance electric vehicle. The targeted power to be achieved through the assembly is 1,100 HP. Karma Automotive plans to do so with dual electric motors generating 14,000 Nm of wheel torque, in addition to electronic torque vectoring on the prototype vehicle.
The dual motors have been borrowed from the 2020 Revero GT. They have been split in front and rear arrangement in order to optimise the weight distribution on the electric car. On the floor is a 120 kWh battery that aims at up to 400 miles (~644 km) of all-electric range.
Dynamic testing of the E-Flex platform based prototype vehicle was recently conducted by Karma engineers at California's exclusive Thermal Club race track, among other performance circuits and conditions. "We aim to make sure the platform is capable of achieving leading standards in the supercar sector and is superior in every sense," said Kevin Zhang, Chief Technology Officer, Karma Automotive.
So it is clear that Karma Automotive is going for another benchmark product with the new platform. Apart from their own visionary vehicle, the company wants to enable such high-performance EVs for other OEMs, startups and automakers as well.
At present, the prototype is undergoing fine tuning as per the most recent release by the company. Once available in the market, Karma Automotive promises that the AWD high-performance platform can be ¡°retrofitted to existing products and developed for new electric supercar applications; both for Karma and prospective partners.¡±
Such EV platforms are becoming increasingly popular with companies aiming for specific use-cases in the market. Karma Automotive is aiming for a high-performance car but those like Tel Aviv based REE Automotive are gunning for standardised, low cost platforms to develop pocket-friendly EVs. The idea is to make electric cars cheaper and hence increase their adoption across the world. In both the scenarios, it is easy to see that the future comprises of electric vehicles zooming on global roads.??