WAE and Italdesign partner for EV solution

Bringing ten years of electrification work, with specialist knowledge of high-performance lightweight batteries and experience as battery supplier to the Formula E, ETCR and Extreme-E racing series’, Oxfordshire-based WAE provides the foundation for the partnership with its new rolling chassis.

Having built on a previous iteration of its EVX platform, the latest version promises to deliver ‘class-leading weight and chassis stiffness’ which, when combined with Italdesign’s turnkey vehicle development capabilities, aims to support rapid industrialisation of a new generation of premium electric Sports GTs, crossovers and sedans. 

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A key differentiator WAE names as a unique selling point of the EVX is its composite compression moulded structural battery. This is said to add significant rigidity to the platform, providing extra support with crash loads and allowing for increased flexibility and design freedom.

Performance figures revealed include the ability to deliver 1000kW of power with 104kWh-120kWh of energy, with potential expansion of the battery pack to up to 160kWh for a potential 1000km vehicle range between charges.

Italdesign will build on the WAE rolling chassis, providing full vehicle architecture with additional safety systems, structures and devices according to the customer’s requirements. 

“When customers are coming to us, especially in this case with the competency of our colleagues from WAE, we together can guarantee specific performance — from the driving but also from passive safety measures,” said Jörg Astalosch, CEO of Italdesign, at a virtual press event. “These are characteristics that we can give to the car depending on what the customer is looking for and in which time they want to reach their target to be on the market.”

The partnership will enable reduced time to market and affordability at low-to-medium volumes, the two companies said, with production capabilities of up to 10,000 units per annum, 500 of which can be manufactured by Italdesign at its facilities in Turin, Italy.

Boasting a lightweight structure, and various options for customisation, the EVX will allow customers to choose rear-wheel and four-wheel drive layouts. Combining recycled composite materials with aluminium, the EVX  can be broken down and recycled at end of life, with ease of disassembly a key design focus, WAE confirmed.

“The approach we’ve taken is the platform can be flexible, so if required, and an organisation wanted to utilise existing motor transmission systems from their own line-up, they would be able to introduce those onto the platform,” said Dyrr Ardash, head of automotive business development at WAE. “We can tune things for the brand characteristics of each and every customer — from a performance perspective, there’s a degree of flexibility that will suit the majority of customers we feel is there.”