Remember the Piëch GT concept from a few years ago? No? The original concept was revealed at the 2019 Geneva motor show and was pitched as a battery-electric grand tourer led by son of theThe start-up mothballed the original concept from back then to work on it further, and this is the new generation.
Although the first running prototype won’t be complete before late next year, Piëch is already advertising key performance figures like a top speed of 187mph, a 2.6sec acceleration time from 0-62mph and a WLTP range of 312 miles – solid stuff, but nothing the new Porsche Taycan turbo could not match for similar money.
The underpinnings of the Piëch GT are quite straightforward. The multilink suspension is steel sprung front and rear, braking is by extra-cost carbon-fibre rotors, the rack-and-pinion steering is of the variable-rate and variable-effort kind. A steer-by-wire option may be added at a later stage. There are no fancy air springs, no active anti-roll bars, no rear-wheel steering, no all-wheel drive alternative at this point.
The other innovation Piëch claims will make a big difference are the batteries and the elaborate cooling system which ensures the drivetrain’s thermal well being even on the track and when hooked up to a 500kW fast charger. In essence, the GT uses the same industry standard 21700 cells as a wide variety of hand-held power tools. Among the available suppliers are household brands like Samsung and Panasonic as well as dedicated specialists like EVE , Molycell and Universell .