Williams Advanced Engineering and Italdesign reveal showroom-ready EV system

Oxfordshire’s Williams Advanced Engineering is teaming up with Turin’s Italdesign to offer premium car makers a production-ready range of electric cars

Williams Advanced Engineering Italdesign crossover EV concept

Williams Advanced Engineering (WAE) is teaming up with Italy’s Italdesign to offer car companies and startups a production-ready high-performance electric car package – with the two firms, if required, handling everything from EV underpinnings, to design, legal compliance and production.

WAE is combining its clever ‘EVX’ modular electric vehicle architecture with Italdesign’s vehicle design and ‘turn-key’ development expertise, for a “fully-customisable solution adapted to individual brands’ needs”.

If required, the cars can even be homologated and legally readied for sale, in volumes of up to 10,000 cars a year, with prices starting from £100,000.

Potential customers include new entrants to the electric car market, as well as established vehicle brands.

The two companies say they can create a comprehensive line-up of EVs, with the core product being a sporty GT coupe or convertible, but with the ability to make luxury saloons and performance crossover SUVs too.  

Italdesign can even produce up to 500 vehicles a year at its Turin factory, for those who want a complete outsourced solution.

‘Complete EV production’

Williams Advanced Engineering Italdesign crossover EV concepts

“Demand for high-performance electric vehicles is continuing to show considerable growth, but to date, there has not been a complete EV production solution,” said WAE technical director Paul McNamara.

“This unique relationship brings together state-of-the-art EV rolling chassis technology with one of the world’s leaders in vehicle body engineering.”

Premium car makers will be able to access “an unprecedented amount of sector-leading expertise… on lower volume high performance models”.

Mr McNamara also stressed the two firm’s potential to bring models more rapidly to market than usual.

“We are extremely glad and thankful of the chance to cooperate with Williams Advanced Engineering,” said Italdesign CTO Antonio Casu.

“Our role in the partnership will be to advance the rolling chassis developed by WAE to the complete platform, and shape it according to the vehicle body style, architecture and contents defined by customers.”

He adds the firm has more than five decades’ of experience here, “whether international OEMs or new-born start-ups”.

EVX architecture

Williams Advanced Engineering Italdesign crossover EV concept

The EVX platform “sets new standards” says WAE: with batteries delivering up to 120kW of energy, it is ready to deliver up to a staggering 1,360hp. The battery pack can also be extended to 160kWh for a potential range of over 620 miles.

WAE says its EVX architecture, which uses a moulded composite structural battery, differs to other EV platforms currently on sale through being much more tightly integrated.

The battery casing is integrated into elements of the body structure, while front and rear chassis structures can take much greater crash loads through the side sills.

This means the EVX ‘skateboard’ chassis delivers greater stiffness, reducing reliance on the upper structure for rigidity – which gives much greater design freedom.

WAE told Motoring Research it has been working on EVX for several years already, and has collaborated with Italdesign for around 18 months in perfecting the interface between underpinnings and the car body on top.

Italdesign’s styling team are confident they have the flexibility to take a car maker’s designs and turn them into a production-ready final vehicle – that will have “class-leading” performance and weight, and “outstanding” aerodynamics and safety.

Performance EV expertise

Williams Advanced Engineering was the original supplier of batteries for the FIA Formula E grid back in 2014, and this relationship has been revived for the 2022-23 season.

The company also provides battery systems to the ETCR electric touring car series and the new Extreme-E rallycross EV series championed by stars such as Lewis Hamilton.

WAE also has “considerable” experience in high-performance electrified road car programmes that goes back more than a decade – including, famously, the Jaguar C-X75 hybrid supercar.

When quizzed on whether the two were currently working on any projects, journalists were told client confidentiality stopped them from disclosing any projects.

However, WAE’s Dyrr Adash tantalisingly added, “we could have a vehicle ready in three years.”

ALSO READ

Williams and Unipart to open EV battery plant in Coventry

Google Maps to warn drivers about Clean Air Zones

Fiat 500 Hey Google series launched – with free Google goodie bag

Related Articles

Richard Aucock
Richard Aucockhttps://www.richardaucock.co.uk/
Richard is director at Motoring Research. He has been with us since 2001, and has been a motoring journalist even longer. He won the IMCO Motoring Writer of the Future Award in 1996 and the acclaimed Sir William Lyons Award in 1998. Both awards are run by the Guild of Motoring Writers and Richard is currently vice chair of the world's largest organisation for automotive media professionals. Richard is also a juror and Steering Committee director for World Car Awards and the UK juror for the AUTOBEST awards.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Find a Car Review

Latest

New Volkswagen ID.Buzz GTX gets 340hp and all-wheel drive

The retro-styled ID. Buzz people carrier is now offered with 340hp, making for an unlikely addition to Volkswagen’s sporty GTX range.

Salon Privé London to host three days of champagne and supercars

Salon Privé London returns to the Royal Hospital in Chelsea next month, with special celebrations of McLaren and the Porsche 911 Turbo.

Kia EV9 is World Car of the Year 2024

The Kia EV9 is the latest pure electric car to be named World Car of the Year – and it also scooped the World Electric Vehicle 2024 prize