Electric vehicles offer a number of advantages over their ICE counterparts. Some are geared to optimize efficiency; others harness their electric motors’ copious amounts of torque to enhance straight-line performance and speed. None, however, are lightweight. Relative newcomer APEX Automotive is looking to change that with the AP-0 concept.
The AP-0 is the second car from the UK-based but Hong Kong backed company.
In crafting the electric lightweight sports car, top brass nabbed UK designer Guy Colborne – who is also a tutor at the Royal College of Art – to lead the creative team. In the video above, Colborne shares his inspiration for the character of the race-inspired and road legal AP-0 and discussed its advanced lightweight structure and aerodynamics before delving into some of the details of the car’s design.
The interior – in which the drivers’ hip-point is at the same height as his/her feet — is very futuristic. Besides its head turning aesthetic, its also laden with technology, including a holographic augmented reality (AR) display and AR Race Instructor, which ‘gamifies’ the car on track and a LiDAR-powered (Level 3) ADAS system that allows the AP-0 to accurately identify potential hazards on the road ahead.
The two-seater sports car looks more compact than its exterior dimensions suggest. It measures in at 4380mm long, 2017mm wide and 1224mm in overall height (including the roof-mounted LiDAR fin), while its front and rear overhangs come in at 970mm and 760mm respectively.
Ultimately it is the car’s performance figures that really shine. With a lightweight 1200kg curb weight, a 90kWh floor-mounted battery pack (for a range of up to 320 miles) and a race inspired suspension, the AP-0 is said to crank out 650bhp and complete 0-60mph runs in just 2.3 seconds. But it will also handle corners thanks to its optimized wheelbase to track width ratio (2650mm/1935mm), which can’t be said for many heavier electric vehicles out there.
APEX is currently taking orders for the AP-0, which the company hopes to have ready for sale in the next two years. Estimates pitch it selling for roughly the cost of a new Porsche Taycan Turbo S.
