Fans of the Piëch Mark Zero concept presented at the 2019 Geneva Motors Show must be exultant. The car entered the trial phase with a new name – Piëch GT – but that seems to be all that changed compared to the electric sports car concept. However, they will still feel intrigued with the company’s claims: it stated that the new EV would be able to fully charge in less than five minutes.
Piëch Automotive AG did not disclose how its batteries make that possible. It only affirmed that the pouch cells are innovative and that “a fast charger specially developed by TGOOD” allows the car to be fully charged spending the same time most people take to fill a fuel tank. The company stresses that it presents a “reliable charging concept” but does not inform what it is. Those are bold claims, and bold claims demand strong evidence. So far, Piëch Automotive did not provide that.
The only aspect of the cell that the company decided to share was that an unnamed Chinese partner initially developed it. Development was later “shifted geographically closer to Europe.” Predictably, the company did not say precisely where. However, if things did not change since we last reported on the company, these cells come from the Desten Group. On the company’s website, the Piëch GT appears like the vehicle that uses them.
Klaus Schmidt, the company’s CTO (chief technical officer), said that “the future clearly belongs to the pouch cells we use – both in terms of weight and fast-charging capability.” If its “compact and robust pouch cells” are as good as Piëch Automotive claims them to be, they are game-changers indeed.
The company seemed more concerned in providing other details about the car development. It moved its German development department from Munich to Memmingen last August. If you recall, Piëch Automotive AG is a Swiss car company.
It bears the famous name thanks to Toni Piëch, co-founder, CEO of Piëch Automotive, and son of the late Ferdinand Piëch. His father is the man who created iconic cars such as the Porsche 917, Bugatti Veyron, and Audi Quattro, apart from running the Volkswagen Group for many years.
The Piëch GT has 450 kW (603 hp) thanks to one 150-kW (201 hp) electric motor in the front axle and two similar motors on the rear. Schmidt said that this is enough for the car to go from 0 to 100 kph (62 mph) in less than 3 seconds, thanks in part to the targeted curb weight of fewer than 1,800 kilograms (3,968 pounds).
According to Rea Stark Rajcic, co-founder and creative director of Piëch Automotive, the batteries are arranged to allow the seating position to be very low. They are located in a central tunnel and over the rear axle, making a weight distribution similar to that combustion-engined sports cars present possible.
The production version of the Piëch GT should be revealed in 2024 with a target of 1,200 vehicles produced in the first year. Production will be carried out by "a renowned automobile manufacturer," Piëch's modular platform should see two other vehicles: an SUV and a sports sedan that will be called Sportlimousine.
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