Electric hypercar speed record broken
BY PETER BARNWELL | 16th Jun 2024
THE Rimac Nevera’s brief day in the sun as the world’s fastest (top speed) electric hypercar is over following a successful record attempt by Japanese technical development and R&D engineering outfit Aspark which recently clocked 438.73kmh in its Owl SP600 prototype at Automotive Testing Papenburg in Germany.
By comparison, Rimac’s Nevera production model tapped out at a mere 412-415km/h.
The Owl also rates as one of the quickest battery electric vehicles (BEV) in a 0-100km/h sprint, achieving the acceleration benchmark in a face-distorting 1.89 seconds – but still 0.08 slower than the Nevera.
A current F1 car will accelerate from 0-100km/h in around 2.4 seconds.
Outpacing both electric hypercars (and others) for outright top speed is the 5.9-litre V8 petrol-powered SSC Tuatara production car that rips to 474.8 km/h.
Aspark is in the process of taking the Owl SP600 into full production, when it is speculated to be priced around the $4 million mark.
The Owl has been under development by Aspark in conjunction with technical partner Manifattura Automobili Torino based in Turin, Italy, for nearly a decade and achieved the BEV top speed record after detailed aerodynamic refinements.
In order to break the record, the SP600 went through a full set of virtual and physical tests, including a specific campaign of wind tunnel validation activities and several sessions of track testing along with the development of bespoke Potenza Race tyres by Bridgestone.
The car has a carbon-fibre body around a carbon-fibre monocoque chassis that weighs in at a scant 120 kg. It is reinforced with a stainless steel support structure in the roof.
Over time, the shape of the SP600 has evolved to incorporate specially shaped wing mirrors, an active rear wing and an aero-optimised rear window.
It rolls on double wishbone suspension with conventional hydraulic dampers and features torque vectoring for stability with braking by 10-piston front callipers and four-piston rears clamping carbon-ceramic rotors.
Energy comes from a 69kWh lithium-ion battery pack feeding four electric traction motors, two at the front and two at the rear for a combined 1480kW and 2000Nm.
Aspark says the model is capable of a 451km range and claims it can be fully charged from empty in 40 minutes.
The two-door coupe weighs a not-insignificant 2000kg and measures 4791mm long, 1914mm wide and 910mm high.
It is the vision of Aspark CEO, Masanori Yoshida who has enlisted a team of passionate and dedicated professionals across engineering disciplines to complete the SP600.
“It has been about 10 years since we started working on the Owl hypercar. We aimed for the world’s fastest accelerating car, then attempted and achieved the top speed world records (EV) today with our new hypercar Owl SP600,” he said.
“This technical capability inspires all involved to personal excellence and to challenge and grow in leaps and bounds into the future.
“The SP600 is an evolution of the original Aspark Owl, developed specifically for the top speed- this is only a milestone to achieve our vision. Aspark aims to always inspire new possibilities for the hypercar industry by creating the EV monster with the world’s best specifications.”
Aspark was formed in 2005 by Masanori Yoshida “with the vision of new value creation through Monozukuri (the Art of Making Things), and started accelerating its first step with the all-electric hypercar, the Owl, in 2015”.
From Aspark’s beginnings as a technical development and R&D engineering outsourcing service it has grown to back some of the most cutting-edge electric vehicle technologies and now has more than 30 offices with more than 5000 employees with a turnover is $US200 million ($A302.2 million).
