When Singapore’s Vanda Electrics came out with their original Dendrobium preview in the February of last year; the space age design seemed like too good to be true. Unfortunately, that was the case with the Dendrobium electric supercar prototype at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, which has taken quite a few steps back from the previous ultra mod concept renders and out-of-this-world performance figures. Nevertheless, they still managed to put up a super-exotic machine that is sporty enough to turn some heads and raise many heartbeats!
This battery-powered beast has gone from the previously planned ultra-flat roof to a semi-open rear suspension with a tapering tail and a wicked rear spoiler. The Dendrobium, named after a Singaporean orchid, has a carbon monocoque chassis with the cockpit that consists of a bare, angular carbon and some leather trim.
The car has an up-and-back opening door and a bright red leather driver’s seat that entails carefully designed stitching emulating muscle fibers that are designed to make a very comfortable “cockpit.”
The top speed of the electric sports car has been tuned back from 400 km/h (249 mph) to 320 km/h (199 mph), with the company saying,
“actual performance to be revised upon production,”
which means that it can go down even further.
The 2.6-second 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) time has also been nudged back to 2.7 seconds, while the initial plans of 4,000 Nm (2,950 lb-ft) torque and 1,500 horsepower (1,119 kW) engine have been cut out altogether.
Even with all these setbacks, the car will surely be fast and fun with the company sticking to the design goal of achieving the curb weight of 1750 kg (3,858 lb). The powertrain consists of two inboard electric motors on each axle, a single-speed gearbox, and differential on the front while a multi-speed gearbox and differential at the rear.
Surprisingly, the battery range for The Dendrobium hasn’t been mentioned yet. But this may not be an issue for the Singaporeans because the whole land piece is just 42 km (26.1 mi) from North to South and 23 km (14.3 mi) across at its widest part.
Singapore’s first electric supercar is expected to hit the market by 2020, and we can’t wait for the date to come!
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