<\/p>\n
Aston Martin is using its upcoming Valhalla high-performance plug-in hybrid to develop a playbook for its future EVs.<\/p>\n
Executives said that the 937-horsepower Valhalla supercar exhibited at the Pebble Beach Concours d\u2019Elegance on Sunday showcases lessons in driver engagement, visual effects and sound that could surface in its first EV in 2025.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we get that performance hybrid recipe right, it\u2019s something we could see elsewhere later on in the range,\u201d said Alex Long, head of Product & Market Strategy for Aston Martin Lagonda.<\/p>\n
The Valhalla\u2019s engineers were especially concerned with retaining the brand\u2019s racetrack-ready driving dynamics when developing the mid-engine two seater, he said. Electric vehicles can feel less engaging as the driver cedes control to the electrical systems and advanced driver assistance functions that govern them.<\/p>\n
\u201cEVs are more like daily drivers and less of a weekend thrill,\u201d Long said.<\/p>\n
Engineers strived to put the driver back in control of the Valhalla\u2019s hybrid powertrain, which combines a twin-turbo V8 with two e-motors, by dialing in \u201ca little bit of oversteer and lots of feedback from the front end\u201d among other tweaks.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne thing we\u2019ve been very careful to do is with tuning the responses of the car back to the driver,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you over assist the drive, then there\u2019s a level of disengagement.\u201d<\/p>\n
Electric motors provide quicker acceleration, hybrids and EVs are heavier and tend to be less nimble than their gas-engine counterparts. The additional weight from the battery powertrain presented several challenges, including figuring out how to change direction quickly without overloading the brake system.<\/p>\n
The Valhalla is also pioneering the exterior design for the brand\u2019s electrified portfolio, said Chief Creative Officer Marek Reichman. Its body displays both painted and carbon surfaces to create shadows that help make the car appear to be in motion when standing still.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere has to be a great visual balance, so how do you break up the car, whether it\u2019s the carbon or the body color, or paint it to give a vernacular to electrification? I think it has to have its own language.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sound, too, came in to play. Historically, engine noise has been crucial to the perception of a sports car\u2019s performance. \u201cIt\u2019s a big challenge with EVs because you lose a lot of the emotion with the sound quality, and you don\u2019t have that step process of gearing up,\u201d Long said.<\/p>\n
The Valhalla is \u201ca nearly silent operation\u201d in EV mode, he added. \u201cAll of the noise will come from the V8, which is going to be loud.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Aston Martin is using its upcoming Valhalla high-performance plug-in hybrid to develop a playbook for its future EVs. Executives said that the 937-horsepower Valhalla supercar exhibited at the Pebble Beach Concours d\u2019Elegance on Sunday showcases lessons in driver engagement, visual effects and sound that could surface in its first EV in 2025. \u201cIf we get […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1193062,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1193060","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrity-gossip"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1193060","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1193060"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1193060\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1193060"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1193060"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1193060"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}