Aston Martin Moving to All-Hybrid and EV Lineup

author: Vineeth Joel Patel   

Tightening emissions and fuel regulations are forcing automakers to look into electric vehicles and hybrids for the future. Volvo became one of the first automakers to announce its plans to cut gas cars out of its lineup by 2019 earlier this year in July. And since then, other automakers have announced plans to introduce EVs sometime in the near future. 

Honda, for example, will unveil two electric vehicles by 2018, Porsche has plans to introduce an all-electric vehicle shortly after in 2019, while Volkswagen has officially announced that a road-going version of the I.D. Buzz will be sold in the U.S. in 2022, following closely behind the release of a four-door I.D. car. 

Aston Martin Feels The Heat

Aston Martin, a British automaker that's synonymous for luxurious high-performance vehicles, has boldly claimed that the company plans to cut gasoline-powered cars from its lineup completely. Automotive News, citing The Financial Times, claims that CEO Andy Palmer will be transitioning Aston Martin to sell only hybrids and electric vehicles in the near future. 

"We will be 100 percent hybrid by the middle of the 2020s," said Palmer, while indicating that the automaker will also be developing its own EV and hybrid technology in-house instead of getting it from a major supplier or from obtaining it from another automaker. "You need to keep core technology inside the company," said Palmer. "That's why we make our own V-12 engine. We believe that EVs are a core technology, and therefore we want to do them ourselves." 

The automaker believes that by 2030, EVs will account for approximately 25 percent of its total sales, while the rest of the company's lineup will consist of hybrids. 

Why Are Automakers Turning To EVs And Hybrids?

While it's sad to see an automaker that has a vivid history creating some of the best high-performance cars on the road switch to electrified-only vehicles, the idea makes sense as numerous European countries have decided to ban automakers from selling gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles. 

The United Kingdom has plans to ban the sale of gas and diesel cars starting in 2040, as the country hopes to reduce air pollution, which France plans to follow, as well. Germany, without giving a firm date as to when the changes would occur, is expected to follow suit with a similar plan. 

The first electric vehicle we expect to see from Aston Martin is the RapidE, a four-door luxury sedan, which the automaker has been working on for some time now. The latest report surrounding the RapidE claims that only 155 units of the sedan will be made and the vehicle will have a range of approximately 200 miles on a single charge. Power is expected to be somewhere in the 800 horsepower range. 

With Aston Martin's partnership with LeEco now dismantled, the RapidE is behind schedule and could be the second or even the third electric car the automaker releases. Other reports claim that an electric variant of the DBX crossover could be first. Regardless of the vehicle, Aston Martin has a long way to go before debuting an electric car and reaching its goal of selling nothing but electrified vehicles by 2030 is a lofty one.

via: Automotive News

Vineeth Joel Patel

Joel Patel has been covering all aspects of the automotive industry for four years as an editor and freelance writer for various websites. When it comes to cars, he enjoys covering the merger between technology and cars. In his spare time, Joel likes to watch baseball, work on his car, and try new foods