Piëch Automotive is a German-Swiss vehicle manufacturer based in Zurich and Munich. Three and a half years ago, the founders and owners of Piëch Automotive, Toni Piëch and Co-CEO/Creative Director Rea Stark Rajcic had the idea to develop a new, flexible vehicle architecture. The first car they created is the Piëch Mark Zero, a vehicle that brings the fascination of a sports car into the electric era. It will be shown for the first time at the 2019 Geneva Auto Show.
The Piëch Mark Zero is an electric GT with a range of 500 km (311 mi) according to WLTP. The special type of cell hardly heats up during charging or discharging phases. Significantly higher currents can flow as the cell temperature rises only marginally. In addition to conventional CSC charging, the fast charging mode allows for a sensationally short charging time of only 4:40 minutes to 80% battery capacity with an exceptionally high recuperation rate. Because of the reduced heat build-up, the batteries can be cooled by air alone. This contributes to an overall weight reduction of around 200 kg, resulting in a total vehicle weight of under 1,800 kg. At the front axle, an asynchronous motor delivers 150 kW, while at the rear axle, two synchronous motors produce 150 kW each – guaranteeing typical sports car feeling!
Piëch Automotive’s battery partner is the DESTEN Group Ltd., based in Hong Kong, China, with a research and development centre in Qingdao, China. DESTEN offers innovative cell and battery packs which feature extremely short charging times combined with low temperature development. Now DESTEN wants to roll out their battery and cell competence gained in the consumer sector in the automotive industry.
The necessary charging infrastructure is supplied by Qingdao TGOOD Electric Co. Ltd. from Qingdao, China, and Hong Kong, China. The group of companies was founded in 2004 by Chinese and German engineers, is listed on the stock exchange in Shenzhen, China, and is a market leader in eHouse solutions. TGOOD operates 210,000 charging stations in more than 300 cities.
The permanent team of specialists has wide-ranging experience in various industry sectors, having worked for renowned automobile manufacturers around the globe. Together with some 200 external employees, it designed a modular vehicle platform which allows the development of a variety of body and drivetrain variants.
Thanks to the modular concept, vehicles made by Piëch Automotive can be kept up-to-date over a long period of time as both the software and hardware (like for example the blocks of battery cells) can be updated or replaced as needed. At the same time, the modular structure allows a wide choice of drive systems: conventional internal combustion engine, different kinds of hybrids, true electric drive or fuel cell – all these drive systems can be realised using the same vehicle architecture. In the next step, this modular structure is also to be offered to other manufacturers in B2B business.
Three vehicle variants are in planning: a two-seater, a four-seater and a sporty SUV. Other concepts like convertibles or pick-ups are also conceivable.
The electric sports car is to look like the Porsche 911 and, thanks to the battery cell technology described above, offer a WLTP range of 500 kilometres. An asynchronous motor on the front axle delivers 150 kW, and two synchronous motors on the rear axle provide an additional 150 kW each. The price of the electric sports car is expected to be around 200,000 euros.
