Singapore may not be the first country that comes to mind when thinking about car manufacturers, but the country will make a splash with its first electric hypercar at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show in March. Williams Advanced Engineering has partnered with electric mobility company Vanda Electrics to create the Dendrobium EV, teased in the video above.
Building a supercar is a bit of a leap for Vanda Electrics, which has in the past produced electric scooters and the Ant electric mini truck. Luckily, they've been lent the racing and engineering expertise of Williams F1 as a technical partner, bringing knowledge on everything from aerodynamics to composites to batteries to propulsion. There aren't a lot of details about the car's construction or its powertrain, but a dedicated site for the car mentions "exquisite surfaces of aluminium, carbon fibre and glass."
The Dendrobium is named for a type of orchid native to Singapore, as the car's automatic roof and doors resemble the flower's petals as they open. Those features inform the shape of the car around it, which would look as appropriate parked in front of a modernist design studio as on a racetrack. As dramatic as the trick openings may be, those floating fenders wrapping around the wheels, the enormous rear wing, and the front and rear lighting that seem almost completely detached from the car are also worth noting.
As for its electric powertrain, we all know how these things can change as projects evolve, but Carbuzz quotes earlier figures from the car's initial announcement at 1,500 horsepower and a 0-62 mph time of about 2.6 seconds. And, of course, those numbers tell very little of the full story when it comes to any car's performance. We'll just have to wait to get the full spiel, as Williams promises, "Further details on Dendrobium will be revealed in the coming months."
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Building a supercar is a bit of a leap for Vanda Electrics, which has in the past produced electric scooters and the Ant electric mini truck. Luckily, they've been lent the racing and engineering expertise of Williams F1 as a technical partner, bringing knowledge on everything from aerodynamics to composites to batteries to propulsion. There aren't a lot of details about the car's construction or its powertrain, but a dedicated site for the car mentions "exquisite surfaces of aluminium, carbon fibre and glass."
The Dendrobium is named for a type of orchid native to Singapore, as the car's automatic roof and doors resemble the flower's petals as they open. Those features inform the shape of the car around it, which would look as appropriate parked in front of a modernist design studio as on a racetrack. As dramatic as the trick openings may be, those floating fenders wrapping around the wheels, the enormous rear wing, and the front and rear lighting that seem almost completely detached from the car are also worth noting.
As for its electric powertrain, we all know how these things can change as projects evolve, but Carbuzz quotes earlier figures from the car's initial announcement at 1,500 horsepower and a 0-62 mph time of about 2.6 seconds. And, of course, those numbers tell very little of the full story when it comes to any car's performance. We'll just have to wait to get the full spiel, as Williams promises, "Further details on Dendrobium will be revealed in the coming months."
Related Video:
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