Skip to main content

How do you get people to take your electric supercar seriously? Set a lap record

Aspark Owl

A Japanese electric supercar will head to the Nürburgring to attack the legendary German racetrack’s lap record. The Aspark Owl will hit the track in March 2020, Aspark boss Masanori Yoshida said in an interview with Top Gear. A lap record would give newcomer Aspark some credibility, and strike another blow for electric cars against internal combustion.

Aspark didn’t specify which lap record it would aim for, but it’s probably safe to rule out the overall record set by the Porsche 919 Hybrid, or the electric record set by the Volkswagen ID R Those records were set by purpose-built race cars, but the Owl is a production model (albeit a very extreme one). Aspark will likely go for the production-car lap record of 6 minutes, 40.3 seconds set by a Porsche 911 GT2RS MR in 2018. The Owl wouldn’t be the first car to hold that record: the Nio EP9 briefly had bragging rights before being surpassed by internal-combustion cars.

Related Videos

On paper, the Owl seems to have what it takes to be a Nürburgring record holder. Aspark just unveiled the production-ready version at the 2019 Dubai Motor Show (a concept version first appeared in 2017) with a claimed 2,012 horsepower and 1,475 pound-feet of torque. That tops other recently announced electric supercars, including the Lotus Evija and Rimac Concept Two. Aspark claims the Owl will do zero to 60 mph in 1.69 seconds, which would make it the quickest-accelerating car in production. A claimed top speed of 248 mph puts the Owl in some elite company as well.

These specs theoretically make the Owl capable of being the fastest production car around the Nürburgring — gasoline or electric. That means it would leapfrog Tesla’s attempt to set a record strictly for electric production cars with its Model S. Tesla’s lap times have been in the seven-minute range, which would still be enough to beat the 7:42 lap time set by the Porsche Taycan.

Aspark claims the Owl has a range of up to 280 miles, but that probably won’t be achievable when driving aggressively. Just 50 cars will be built, priced at 2.9 million euros ($3.2 million). Aspark isn’t alone in unveiling an expensive electric supercar with big performance claims. The Owl faces competition from Lotus and Rimac, as well as the next-generation Tesla Roadster and the upcoming Pininfarina Battista.

Editors' Recommendations

Beware of this EV with pitiful charging speed — and others like it
apple maps to get new ev feature eliminate range anxiety close up of the hybrid car electric charger station with power suppl

With a proper setup, owning and driving an electric car can be a pretty seamless experience. If you have a charger at home, you'll never really have to worry about charging -- simply plug in at home, and your car will always have enough juice to get you through the day.

But that convenience can fall apart when you go on road trips. Whether it's just a short jaunt out of town, or a cross-country adventure, you'll suddenly have to keep track of nearby charging stations, and allot enough time to charge up your car. With a car like the Kia EV6 and Ioniq 5, that can be a relatively quick stop -- especially if you find a 350-kilowatt charging station that can charge your car in a matter of 15 or 20 minutes.

Read more
VinFast’s new electric cars will be available in the U.S. this year
VinFast VF6

As we move toward electric vehicles, all kinds of new car brands have been popping up -- giving the traditional automakers a run for their money. Over the past few years at CES, one of the more interesting of those has been VinFast -- a Vietnamese company that delivered its first cars in the U.S. in November. Now, the company is planning on more releases over the next year -- and at CES 2023, we learned more about what those cars will offer.

VinFast may not be very well known in the U.S., but it's actually one of the larger automakers in Vietnam. It certainly doesn't have the experience in manufacturing on the scale that it's hoping to in the U.S., but unlike many of the other electric carmakers, it is actually shipping cars -- not just building concepts. The VinFast VF8 crossover and VF9 SUV were announced earlier -- but little was known about the smaller VF6 and VF7 models, until now. Turns out, like their larger siblings, they're pretty compelling options.
VinFast VF6

Read more
Ram EV concept previews truck brand’s electric future
The Ram 1500 Revolution BEV concept was designed around an electric powertrain.

Electric pickup trucks are a hot trend in the auto industry, and Ram is late to the game. So the truck brand of massive automaker Stellantis needed to work hard to stand out.
Unveiled at CES 2023, the Ram 1500 Revolution BEV concept shows what Ram has in mind for its first production electric truck, which is scheduled to arrive in 2024. This concept version combines some features we’ve already seen on other electric trucks with a few clever new ideas. So while it may be revolutionary for the Ram brand, which is new to EVs, it’s more evolutionary when compared to other electric pickups.

Unmistakably electric
The Ram 1500 Revolution has the bulky appearance of a traditional truck, but with proportions that clearly mark it as an EV. With no need to accommodate an engine, the hood is much shorter. This allowed designers to make the cabin four inches longer than today’s internal-combustion Ram 1500 without shortening the bed, Ram claims. The grille is also smaller, although Ram compensated for this with a giant light-up logo and headlights with the same “tuning fork” elements as its current gasoline and diesel truck grilles.
The roofline is a bit lower and sleeker, which probably helps with aerodynamics, but like a traditional truck, the Revolution rolls on massive wheels and tires. The 35-inch tires are wrapped around 24-inch wheels with smooth covers and light-up elements. The charge port, meanwhile, is located in the driver’s side front fender. It makes a noise when the truck has started charging and blinks to show that charging is ongoing.
Like rival truck makers, Ram incorporated a frunk where the engine would normally be, plus the RamBox storage bins from its current trucks. Nearly every opening, including the tailgate, frunk, and charge port, is also power-operated.
Underpinning all of this power-operated convenience is the STLA Frame dedicated EV platform, one of four such platforms Stellantis plans to use for future EVs across its many brands, such as Chrysler and Jeep.

Read more