DS has revealed a dramatically reworked version of its E-Tense concept, heavily uprating the sports coupé’s mechanicals as a statement of intent for the design and capabilities of future production EVs.
DS has revealed a dramatically reworked version of its E-Tense concept, heavily uprating the sports coupé’s mechanicals as a statement of intent for the design and capabilities of future production EVs.
The new E-Tense Performance is an evolution of the 300kWp E-Tense shown at the 2016 Geneva motor show and is presented as a “high- performance laboratory”.
Compared with the 2016 car, it packs significantly enhanced performance courtesy of a new twin-motor powertrain engineered by the DS Performance Formula E race team. A 250kW motor at the front and a 350kW motor at the rear combine for a total of 600kW – more than three times the power of a Formula E racer.
Full performance figures will be revealed following a series of tests with DS Formula E champions Jean-Éric Vergne and António Félix da Costa.
The battery, co-developed with Total Energies, is housed in a carbon-aluminium composite ‘envelope’ at the rear and features a unique chemical make-up and immersive cell- cooling system, which DS said contributes to a maximum discharge rating of 600kW and “enables the exploration of new avenues for future generations of production vehicle”.
The E-Tense Performance hints at the design of DS’s upcoming EVs. At the front, an angular new “surface for expression” replaces the brand’s trademark hexagonal grille, flanked by new-look running lights and a pair of data-collecting cameras.
DS says the cockpit has also “been conceived to gather data”, but the bucket seats and Formula E steering wheel emphasise its sporting intent. DS Performance division boss Thomas Chevaucher said: “The aim is to apply the experience acquired in Formula E and the expertise that we’ve taken from our international titles to a project that predicts the high-performance electric car of tomorrow.”
He didn’t confirm the coupé for production but suggested that it will influence the development of future components used in road cars.
Felix Page